Creating Ripples
by Grintgirl12
Summary: Tess was always good at creating ripples. But she wasn't the only one. Tess/Nate. OMG I updated.
1. A Lot More Alike

Tess couldn't hide the tears that sprang to her eyes as she watched Shane lean down and kiss Mitchie. Not one to let other's see her cry, she quickly ducked away from the stage. She needed to get out of the stuffy place. She needed air. She needed to think.

Glancing around to make sure no one saw her, she slipped out into the cool night air. Soon people would be leaving, and dealing with people was the last thing she wanted right now. She needed to go some place quiet, where no one would be on the last night of camp. Suddenly it hit her. The lake. As she walked, she tried to gather her thoughts, but they were all jumbled up inside her head.

She didn't understand. Mitchie was just the kitchen help, she was no one important. Tess's mom was T.J. Tyler! One of the biggest pop-stars around. What was it about Mitchie that made Shane chose her?

Was there something bad about Tess? Was she a bad singer, or was she just not a good as Mitchie? And didn't Shane say he wanted someone who would understand what he was going through? Someone who knew what it was like to have people constantly pretend around them?

Tess knew exactly what that was like. That was partly the reason she was the way she was. Wasn't it him who said he only acted like that because he wanted to keep the posers away?

"We're a lot more alike than you'll ever admit Shane Gray." She mumbled to herself, wiping away a stray tear.

Sighing to herself, she stopped at the edge of the lake, staring out into black water. Peering over the side, she caught sight of her reflection. Her shiny, straight blonde hair was tangled and starting to curl at the ends. Her make-up was smudged across her cheeks, and her eyes were red.

Her sadness quickly vanished as she picked up a heavy rock and threw it at the smooth surface, destroying her reflection and creating ripples on the water. But that's what she did best, create ripples. The tears began to pool in her eyes once more, and she silently cursed herself for being so weak. Behind her, someone cleared their throat, causing Tess to jump.

She whipped her head around so fast, she feared she might have given herself whiplash. Her eyes scanned the dark grounds, searching for whomever had made the noise.

"Whose there?" She demanded. Her voice came out scratchy and she prayed they didn't suspect her of crying. Then, a figure stepped out from behind a tree. It took her a moment, but she soon recognized him as Nate, one of Shane's band members.

A/N: Please just give this story a chance. There are only two other Tess/Nate stories, so I decided to make one myself. This is my second favorite pairing from Camp Rock (Shane/Mitchie being first). I just really like the idea of bad girl Tess being with good guy Nate. I think they'd really bring out the best in the other. Again, just give it a chance, you may end up liking it. :D

Peace.Love.Jonas.


	2. A Watery Beginning

"Hey," He said softly, giving her a small wave. She glared at him, but it was useless in the dark. He couldn't see.

"Why are you here?" She snapped. Turning around to face the lake once more. She listened to his footsteps on the gravel, growing ever closer. Finally he arrived at her side, also looking out into the dark waters.

"You were really good tonight." He said, sticking his hands in his pockets to shield them from a sudden breeze.

"Doesn't answer my question." She replied hotly. Why was he trying to talk to her? Wasn't she making it obvious she wanted to be left alone? "And I don't need your sympathy. I know I messed up." She added as an after thought.

"Good, cause I wasn't giving you any sympathy. I was just simply stating the facts." Tess rolled her eyes as she turned to face him.

"Why are you here?" She growled in her most dangerous voice.

"I believe you already asked that." He said, not taking his eyes off the darkening horizon.

"And I believe you didn't answer it. I thought maybe you needed it repeated." Slowly he turned to face her, a small smirk on his lips. Tess was slightly taken aback by this, and she frowned to let him know she wasn't amused.

"You know, for a super-star, you don't take complements very well." He whispered, his warm breath hitting her face. He began walking away, but Tess wasn't going to let him away that easily.

"What do you mean by that? I wouldn't exactly call that a complement." She yelled, storming after him. _God, its hard to run in these shoes. _She thought bitterly as she kicked them off. Nate turned around, his eyes narrowing at her.

"Then what would you call a complement?" He asked, folding his arms over his chest. Tess stood there for a moment, mulling over this.

"A complement," she finally said, "is, say for instance, 'I like your shirt'. But, as you put it, 'simply stating the facts'," She said using air quotes as she repeated his earlier statement. "And telling someone something they already knew, isn't a complement."

"So, you're saying you already knew you did really great tonight." He asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Well, if I wasn't good, I wouldn't be here, now would I?" She countered.

"I guess not." He shrugged. "Well, here's a complement for you." He took a few steps forward, so that he was standing right in front of Tess. "I like your shoe's." Nate whispered, the smirk once again returning to his features. In a flash, Nate leaned down and grabbed Tess's shoe's. The next thing she knew he was running off towards the lake with them.

"Hey!" She screamed, taking off running after him. "Those are Marc Jacobs. If you ruin them it'll be the end of your life." By now, Nate was at the end of the pier, holding them over the water. "What are you doing?" She yelled, running up to him.

"Trying to get you to have a little fun." He said, smiling broadly. Tess narrowed her eyes at him.

"Give. Me. Back. My. Shoes." Nate smirked as he held them over his head.

"Jump for them." He said slowly. Tess snapped. She didn't even care about her shoe's anymore. She just wanted to wipe that annoying smirk of his perfect face. Gathering all of her strength, she pushed on Nate's chest, sending him flying into the lake. His eyes widen as he realized what she was going to do, and he opened his mouth to scream. Unfortunately his scream was muffled by the water.

Nate's head popped out, spitting water out of his mouth and rubbing his eyes. Now it was Tess's turn to smirk.

"You were right. That was fun. Mission accomplished."

"Haha." Nate said, rolling his eyes. "Here," He mumbled, holding out her shoes. "Take your shoes. They're not really my style." Tess narrowed her eyes as she reached out to grab them. She wasn't expecting what came next. Nate dropped her shoes, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her in the water with him.

It was surprisingly warm water, Tess noted as she kicked herself back up the surface. A loud scream erupted from the back of her throat as she broke through the water, wet hair sticking to her face.

"You are so annoying." She yelled, glaring at Nate, who at the moment was laughing uncontrollably.

"Now that was fun." Tess screamed once more as she began wading through the water towards the shore. This was not what she had in mind when she left Final Jam. "Don't you know how to have fun?" Nate's voice asked, breaking her thoughts. She'd had it with this guy. Why wouldn't he just leave her alone?

"I'll show you fun." She mumbled turning around to face him once more, she began splashing him, getting him even more soaked, if that was possible.

"Not fair!" He yelled, as he began splashing her back. Somehow, in the middle of their splash fight, Tess completely forgot her anger, and began to actually have fun. She laughed as Nate moved forward to splash her even more, when he tripped and fell into the water. After that, the two decided it was best to get out of the water, which was grower colder every minute.

Taking a seat on the end of the dock, Tess felt herself finally starting to have fun. Too bad it was right after camp ended.

"Why did you come find me tonight?" She asked, breaking the silence they'd been enjoying.

"I didn't. I came out here to think. Its what I did when I went here." Tess looked over at him, meeting his eyes for the first time all night. "But when I got here I saw it was previously occupied. I was going to leave, but it looked like you needed a friend."

"Oh, so now we're friends, are we?" She asked, laughing lightly. The two spent most the night talking, finally glad to have someone to talk to.

**A/N Alright so, I have no idea if anyone's going to read this story, but I thought I might as well post this. Now, give the story a little more time, cause it will develop some more, right now I'm just trying to introduce the charaters and where they stand. It's kind of fun playing around with their personalities because Nate isn't really explored much in the movie, and you only get a chance to see the bad side of Tess, instead of what she's really going through. I really hope someone is reading this story, cause I think it has potential. But I'll only know if you review!  
BTW: If you haven't already, go see the new Disney Flick WallE...its really adorable!**

Peace.Love.Jonas


	3. Milk and Other Disasters

**A/N Thanks so much to D R O W N-I N-S E Q U I N S, i.can't.keep.a.secret., and bdwy411 for reviewing this story! It made so happy to read that people actually like this story. So, here is chapter 3! More reviews would be nice!  
****  
Disclaimer- (I just realized that I forgot to put this in the last two chapters) I don't own Camp Rock. Disney does. But of course anything worth owning is owned by Disney. The only thing I do own is the plot, and a few of the character, which have yet to be introduced.**

Tess quietly tip-toed into her room at 1:30 the next morning. Her clothing stuck to her skin, and her wet hair was starting to frizz. But even with that, she couldn't hide the growing smile. She'd just spent five hours with a teen-heart throb.

She tired to not wake the other sleeping campers and their parents as she grabbed her pj's to change. She tried to focus on other things, but her mind kept drifting back to earlier.

Even despite the fact that Nate was in the biggest band around, and he was internationally known, he was quite down to earth.

But there was something else about him. Something she couldn't quite put a finger on. Was it that he made her laugh? God only knows how hard it is to get her to crack a smile recently. Or was it that he seemed to understand her? She scoffed as this thought passed._ No one can really understand someone else._

Maybe was it that fact that he seemed to care. He did spend the whole night cheering her up, when he probably had a million other things to do.

Tess pondered over this things as she stripped the wet clothes off her body, and replaced them with dry ones. Once that was done she carefully climbed back to her bed and pulled the covers over her face.

_Maybe, just maybe, its all of those things._ She thought before drifting off into a deep sleep, an uncharacteristic smile on her face.

But on the other side of the camp, another person was falling asleep, a smile placed on his soft features, as he thought about the blond girl.

"Tess. Tess," Tess groaned and buried her face further in the covers to hide from the bright sunlight. Whomever was trying to get her up wouldn't stop shaking her, and it was really getting on her nerves. She began swatting at the person, hoping they'd just leave. "Tess Tyler, get your butt out of bed, right now." Her mothers sharp voice cut through the peaceful air like a knife. Tess could already feel the blush creeping its way up her neck.

"I'm up." She mumbled, sitting upright and trying to right her mess of hair. She glanced up and saw Ella, Peggy, and Mitchie staring at her. But it was not only them, their parents as well. Trying to suppress yet another groan, Tess pulled herself out of bed and stumbled off to the bathroom.

When she returned to the cabin, she noted that everyone else was gone. She felt her anger start to flair up, and tried taking calming breaths to keep from over reacting.

Leaving her cabin, she began the short trek to the Dining Hall, not exactly looking forward to the day. It was Parents Day, meaning everyone was going to be showing the parents what they've done this summer. Which means a whole day spent with her mother. Not something she was looking forward to.

Tess was so absorbed in her thoughts of the coming day, she forgot to watch where she was going. So, she didn't see the guy standing there, precariously balancing three bowls of cereal. She looked up a little too late, and sent both the guy and the bowls of cereal flying backwards.

Luckily for her, she was able to dodge the flying milk and coco-puffs. Unluckily for him, he wasn't. She watched, wide-eyed, as the food landed on him, ruining his hair and clothes. That's when she recognized him.

"Nate!" She yelped, her hand flying up to her mouth. Even Tess, the self-controlled genius that she was, couldn't keep from laughing at the look on his face.

"Why is whenever you're around, I'm in desperate need of a change of clothes?" He joked, also laughing.

"Sorry, I wasn't pay attention." She said, offering her hand to pull him up.

"Something on your mind?" He asked, taking her hand. She pulled up on his hand, in turn hers getting stick from the milk. She shook her head, blond locks falling into her face.

"Nothing much. Just . . . thinking." She said, smiling at him. He nodded his head to show that he understood. They both stood there, eyes locked, smiling at one another. "So," She said, breaking eye contact and looking down at her feet. "What's with all the cereal? Are you really hungry or do you just love cereal that much?"

"Oh, that." Nate said, looking down at the empty bowls. "No, Shane and Jason were too lazy to get up this morning so I had to bring them food before it was all gone." He explained.

"Ah, now I understand your position in the band." She said, a small smirk crossing her face. "You're the pack mule of the band." Nate opened his mouth in mock-hurt and flicked a stray coco-puff on at her. She tucked as piece of hair behind her ear, as she glanced over towards the Dining Hall.

"Well, I'd better go. Best to let Shane and Jason down while they're still half a sleep. Easier that way." Tess nodded as she started to walk off in the direction of the Dining Hall. Nate watched her go, her hips shaking slightly more than other girls as she walked. He chuckled to himself as she started back to his own cabin to change into dry, not milked stained clothes.

**A/N It would be absolutly lovely if you could review. Wink wink  
**Peace.Love.Jonas


	4. Bad Dreams and Soda Cans

**eCZI:Thank you so much for reviews (thats right people as in more than one!) I was so honored to be your first Camp Rock story to review! I really appreciate you taking the time to point that stuff out! It'll help me with my future chapters! I'm glad you liked it. You're right, I did use the word smirk a little too much, but I was writing it at 12:30 this morning (no joke). But I promise I'll keep you ideas in mind.  
Shizuku Tsukishima749: You have the coolest pen name eva! Your review left me in tears. Jk but it nearly had me there. I love that you love this! Really reviews like that make my day!  
D R O W N-I N-S E Q U I N S- Your reviews make me so happy! I'm glad you thought that part was funny. I, myself, was very proud that I thought of that line.  
And all the comments about people 'never pairing Nate and Tess together but they really like', yeah those make me happy as well!  
Disclaimer- I own nothing. If I did do you really think I'd be writing this story?**

_"Tess, are you alright? You've hardly touched your plate." Andrea, Tess's worrisome aunt, observed. The red-headed beauty set down her own fork and knife, and gave Tess the look. The look meant she knew something was wrong, and she expected Tess to talk about it._

_Tess rolled her blue eyes, as she grabbed her plate and placed it in the sink. She looked around Aunt Andrea's apartment, and smiled. This was what felt comfortable. The small, up-town New York flat overlooked the beautiful city, but at the same time, wasn't overly done like her own house, or the other apartments around._

_"Sweetie? What is it?" Andrea asked, walking up behind Tess and placing her hands on the girls small shoulders._

Tess awoke with a start, tears forming in her eyes. She hadn't had a dream about Andrea in months.

"Mom still hasn't called. I'm just . . . I just miss talking to her. Ever since she got her first hit, she's been so busy." Tess explained, turning around and burying her face in her aunt's arms.

"I know, baby, I know." She cooed, wrapping her arm protectively around Tess's small body.

"You alright, Tess?" Her mother asked from her spot in the limo. She was currently staring at herself in the compact mirror, applying more lip gloss to her bottom lip, making weird faces.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bad dream." Tess mumbled, quickly wiping away any trace of tears. She stared out the tinted window, the remnants of the dream lingering in her mind. The two had left Camp Rock only three hours earlier, and yet Tess was missing it more than she thought possible.

"We have a 9:00 am meeting with the record company," T.J. started, still concentrating on her lip gloss, vaguely reminding Tess of Ella.

"Don't you mean _you_ have a meeting?" Tess replied irritably. T.J. sent her daughter a glare, finally looking away from her mirror, and snapping it shut with a loud _click._

"Than off to my new video shoot. Wardrobe cheek!" She continued, clapping her hands together. Tess rolled her eyes for the fifth time that day. _If anyone thought being dragged on tour would be fun, they're dead wrong._ Tess thought harshly, a sour look on her face.

"Don't pull that face. It's rather unfaltering." T.J. said, re-examining her reflection.

"Right, because appearances are everything." Tess mimicked her mother's words. Words she'd heard too often.

"Correct." T.J. said slowly as the car came to a stop in front of a ritzy hotel. The two beautiful blonds clamored out of the limo, only to be meet with bright, flashing lights. "Welcome home, sweetie." T.J smiled before stepping forward and having twenty or so bellhops gather around her. Each and everyone was at her command.

"Yeah, home." Tess mumbled, following her mothers path, and placing a smile back on those delicate lips.

--

"Get some sleep, lovely. We've got a busy day tomorrow." Her mother's voice cut through the soft music playing in Tess room. _There she goes again with the 'we'._ Tess kept her eyes on the screen of her iPhone, but raised her brows to let her mother know she heard her.

Just as Tess was about to turn off her phone, it started vibrating dangerously in her hands.

"Hello?" She asked, a little confused as to who would be calling her this late a night.

"Tess! How's it going? Was your little Rock Camp fun?" A light, bubbly voice shouted into the phone. Tess smiled as she recognized her older sister, Lily's, voice. And by the slur in her speech, she assumed Lily wasn't exactly sober.

"Camp Rock." Tess corrected, though she could tell from the sound of it Lily wasn't really listening.

"Yeah, that place. How was it? Didcha win Jam Session or whatever?" Tess frowned thinking about the horrible incident. And it wasn't the fact that she didn't win. She could live with that. It was the fact that she messed up, and that everyone saw her mess up.

"Its Final Jam. And no, I didn't win." Tess replied in her same tone.

"Why? Did you forget the words or something?" Lily began giggling uncontrollably, hicupping every so often.

"Why'd you call?" Tess asked sharply, the ice returning to her voice.

"Just wanted to talk to my lil' sis." Lily replied gleefully. Tess rolled her eyes as she quickly pressed end on her phone. She couldn't stand talking to Lily. Perfect, gorgeous, little Lily who never messed up.

Shutting of the light, Tess snuggled under the covers, hiding from the world.

--

"Hey, buddy! How's it going?" Jason exclaimed loudly, clasping Nate on the back, causing the youngest member of the band to snap out of his day-dream.

"What do you mean?" He asked, his thin eyebrows knitting together.

"You've been out of it all day, man." Shane said, taking a seat on the other side of Nate. "Coke?" He asked, offering his best friend a can of soda.

"No thanks." Shane shrugged as he brought the can up to his own lips and took a sip. Nate watched him for a moment before turning his attention back to the movie the band was trying to watch. Though, honestly, the three boys had lost all interest in it way before now.

"You're thinking about a girl aren't cha?" Jason said, his wide eyes blinking back at Nate. Despite Jason being a little . . . spacey, sometimes he could really surprise Nate.

"What? Nate doesn't _think_ about girls." Shane said, turning the volume of the movie down even more. Nate grimaced as he turned to face Shane.

"What do you mean I don't _think_ about girls?"

"Well, you don't. It's all music and lyrics and cords up there." Shane joked, knocking lightly on Nate's skull. Nate frowned and pushed his hand away.

"That's not _all_ I think about." He defended himself.

"So, you were thinking about a girl then?" The smirk on Shane's face reminded Nate of the night after Final Jam. He now understood why Tess got so upset.

"No." Nate lied, but he could feel the color rise on his cheeks as the lie slipped out his mouth. He knew both his friends could see through his lie, but he didn't want them to press the matter. Quickly grabbing the remote as a means of changing the subject, he turned the volume back up. "Now, would you mind. I'm trying to watch this movie."

But the truth was, Nate _was_ thinking about a girl. A girl he couldn't _stop_ thinking about. A girl he'd met at camp.

**A/N Do you love it? Hate it? Leave me a review and tell me whatcha think!**

Peace.Love.Jonas


	5. Of Music, Meatballs, and Loud Stomachs

**Personally I love this chapter. Now I'd better get some reviews for this one. I was up until 2:31 writing this. Seriously! That's what time it is right now!  
Disclaimer- Oh you know the drill. I own nothing. Disney does. Bluh bluh bluh! I do however own Preston! HA!**

"Tess, please hurry. I really can't afford to be late. Well, I can but I really don't want to." T.J. laughed at her lame joke. Tess glared at the back of her mother's head as she rushed her through the hallways of Double Deluxe Production Company. Their heels clicked loudly against the stone floors, as they passed yet another empty room.

"Mom, where is this place?" Tess whined, struggling to keep up.

"Here!" T.J. said, stopping abruptly and throwing her arms out as if to show off the ample room. Tess was barely able to stop in time. Her eyes widen as she took in the set. Everything was covered in faux-snow. _Everything. _There were fake pine trees place in meticulous spots around the scene, and a small wood cabin sat in the middle of it all.

"Wow." Tess breathed, stepping into the room, a look of pure wonder on her face.

"T.J.! How're you babe?" Preston, T.J.'s gay assistant, greeting T.J. by kissing both her cheeks.

"Wonderful." Preston clapped his hands together to show his joy. _So, that must be where she picked it up from._ Tess thought crossing her arms over her chest and watching in amusement as her mother interacted with Preston. "Preston, darling, why is everything covered in snow? I thought the theme was going to be a day at the beach."

"It was, but a lot happened while you were gone." He explained, grabbing T.J.'s elbow and guiding her out of the way of a moving prop.

"I was gone for five days, Preston. How could that much possibly happen in five days?" Tess noticed her mother's voice was starting to gain volume, which meant her anger was starting up. Preston must of noticed this also, because he waved someone over. The lady came bustling over handing T.J. a tiny blue dress, sequins and all. Tess scoffed. It looked more like a 70's get-up than anything for a video shoot in this millennium.

"Go try it on, sweetie." He cooed, sending her mother off. He fell into a chair with an over-dramatic sweep of his arm, something only an actress on Broadway could pull off. Tess made her way over to him, a sour look on her face. "Oh, you're here. Lovely." He grumbled not even trying to hide the roll of his eyes. Tess could feel the famous Tyler anger flairing up in herself now. "Shouldn't you be off at camp or something?"

"I finished." She replied curtly. Preston made his mouth into th e shape of an 'O'.

"Well," he paused, one of his hands placed on his chin in a thinker's stance. "There's this _great _boy band shooting a video next door. Why don't you go cheek them out? 12 year old girl's are still into boy bands right?"

"I'm 15!" Tess shouted, throwing her arms down to her side.

"Great for you. Hey, Bev. Why don't you take her next door. I'm sure that'd be more fun for her then hanging around here."

"No," Tess snapped, pulling her arm away from 'Bev''s grasp. "I'd rather stay here." She dared Preston to challenge her. Luckily, he know what was best for him, and didn't. Instead Preston made a cat motion with his hand, and imitated a cat hissing.

"Someone's catty. I like." Preston said, smiling his Miami-beach smile. Tess sniggered at Preston, as she turned her attention to the set crew.

--

Three hours, forty-two minutes, and twelve seconds later, and T.J. still wasn't done. Tess's stomach was growling for its lack of food. Suddenly skipping breakfast didn't seem like such a great idea.

"Was that an earth-quake. No folks, that was Tess's stomach. Again!" Preston snapped, faking an announcer's voice.

"Do you have any idea how _annoying_ you are?" Tess barked, half from being fed up with Preston, half from hunger.

"I won't be so annoying if you'd shut the beast up." He yelled at her stomach.

"If you had food around here, it wouldn't be making noise." Tess hollered back.

"Shut it! Both of you!" The director shouted at the two. Tess and Preston silently glared at one another, waiting for the other to blink. Tess's eyes started to water, and her stomach once again made a low growling noise. She caved first, blinking back humiliation.

"Ha! I won!" Preston bragged, sticking his tongue out in a very childish way.

"Miss Tyler, there's a buffet next door, if you want to get some food." The girl, Bev, from earlier said softly. Tess smiled ruefully at her before turning on her heel and stalking out of the video set. Normally, she would've waited until her mother was done filming before eating, but God only knows when that would be, and she couldn't take one more minute of Preston.

That's when she spotted it. A beautiful display of food, all sorts of food, out for anyone to take. Tess hungrily made her way over to table, and began digging into the food. She spied a meatball sub, sitting in the back of the sandwich's. Gulping, she reached out and grabbed the rather large sub. She opened her mouth to take the first bite when all the contents spilled out, straining her clothing.

"_Shit,_"She swore loudly, grabbing a handful of napkins and rubbing at her shirt. She bent down to wipe up the mess of meatballs and sauce on the ground. Salty tears were starting to sting her eyes, and she roughly wiped them away with the back of her hand. _This just is not my day._

"Looks like you're the one in need of a change of clothes this time," An all to familiar voice said from above her. Tess's head shot up and she inwardly groaned as she saw Nate standing there. He chuckled as he bent down to help clean up the mess. "Meatballs?" He asked, raising his brows in question.

"What?"

"Nothing, I just never pegged you a meatball girl." Tess placed her devilish smile on her lips as she flicked her hair over her shoulder.

"Well, I guess you pegged me wrong then."

"I guess so." He said, locking his brown eyes with her blue ones.

"Hey, Nate! What's taking you?" A voice called from behind a large red curtain.

"You're wanted. I supposed I should let you go." Tess said, finally stand up right.

"Yeah, I guess." Nate sighed as he began walking towards the voice. _Turn around. You want one last look of me. In your mind you're begging to have me stay._ Tess pleaded as she watched Nate's back.

"Unless," He said, turning on his heel, just as Tess was about to give up. A smile brighten her features as waited for him to continue. "Unless, you want to stick around here. We're almost done." Tess eyed him for a moment. "I can buy you a new meatball sub, if you'd like." Tess laughed as she bit her bottom lip. She knew she was going to accept. She had nothing better to do.

"Well . . . with an offer like that, who can resist." She shrugged, leaning against the table. On the outside she was the epitome of cool, on the inside however, her stomach was doing back flips.

**A/N: Don't fret. Bitchie Tess will return! I just want to get more into the story before she does. So, if she seems a little too nice/AU-ish, keep reading! wink wink But I'd love to hear what you think about this! And...the best way for readers to share what they think is by reviewing!**

Peace.Love.Jonas


	6. The Date

**I got so many reviews about Preston, that I decided to keep him! At first, I was only going to have him in the last chapter. But, not to worry, Preston will be in future chapters! YAY! As annoying as Preston is, he's so much fun to write about. I really do love his character.**

**This chapter is dedicated to eCZi, who has reviewed every chapter, and helped me develop the characters even more.**

"No way! I don't believe you." Nate said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.

"Fine, don't believe me. But it's true." Tess grinned back.

"Show me."

"Fine." Tess said. Balling her hand into a fist, she opened her mouth. Lifting her fist to her move, she moved it inside. After wriggling it around a bit, she managed to fit the entire thing in her mouth.

"Forget singing, that's the talent you should peruse." Nate said, watching as Tess removed her fist.

"Ha ha. You're hilarious." Tess said with a roll of her eyes.

"Yes, I know." Their laughter slowly died down, and Tess looked around the nearly empty Starbucks. The only other people there were an old couple, and a mother typing on a laptop while her children were running around her chair.

"So . . ." Tess mumbled, turning her attention back to Nate. The two sat in awkward silence until they both started to say something at the same time.

"Sorry, you first," Nate said, nodding for her to continue.

"Why'd you ask me to come out with you? I mean you hardly know me." Nate shrugged as he fiddled with the straw of his drink.

"That's usually what dates are for." Tess actually felt her mouth drop open. Even though she knew gaping at someone was something her mother would never approve of, she couldn't help it. _Did he just say date?_Quickly snapping out of it, Tess closed her mouth and tried to think of something to say.

"So," Tess managed to get out. Her mouth felt dry, and her voice was coming out in a squeak. She gulped before trying to say anything else. "So, this is date?" Nate glanced up, his brown eyes shining brightly, as a smile that seemed to light up his whole face appeared.

"Perhaps. That all depends on how the rest of the evening turns out." With that said, he slid out the booth, slapping a five dollar bill on the table, and sauntered out the cafe. Tess watched him leave, slightly shocked by this boy. Shaking out of it, she grabbed her purse and followed Nate.

"Rest of the evening?" She asked, speeding up to walk next to him. Nate winked at her before grabbing her hand and pulling her behind him.

"Follow me."

"Do I have a choice?"

--

"No! No, no no no. No way!" Tess said, shaking her head wildly, and backing away from Nate's outstretched hand.

"Come on, for me?" He pleading, giving her a pathetic excuse for a puppy-dog face.

"Nate," Tess spoke tersely, a thin smile on her lips, "Not even Orlando Bloom could get me to do that. But nice try." She turned to leave, but Nate grabbed her shoulders and spun her around to face him.

"Don't you want to have a little fun, tonight?" Tess stared at him for a moment, deciding on whether or not to accept. She glance over his should and warily watched the people flying by, seeming to be nothing more than a blur of color. She winced uneasily as she brought her gaze back to Nate's pleading face.

"This isn't _exactly_ my idea of fun." She started and watched as his face fell slightly. "But-"

"Yes!" He shouted, immediately switching out of his somber mood. He didn't even let her finish her sentence as he dragged her over to a large red shack. "Two pairs of roller-blades please." He exclaimed, placing the money down on the counter. The boy behind the counter didn't even glance up from his magazine as he handed Nate the skates.

Tess groaned. _Tonight is going to be very . . . interesting._

--

"Nate! Don't do that!" Tess shrieked as he dropped her hand to do a series of complicated twists and turns. Tess, never one for being graceful on wheels, felt herself start to fall forward. She grabbed onto the first thing she could reach, which was a six-year-old girl.

When Nate finally stopped spinning around, he searched for Tess's unbalanced body. That's when she saw a small girl, barely able to stand up on her own, being weighed down by the diva herself. Gliding over the smooth surface of the floor, he skated up to the two of them.

"What's the big deal? I'm just simply resting," Tess said in her usually cool tone.

"On my head!" The little girl shouted, trying, but failing, to push Tess away. Nate placed his hands around Tess's waist and felt her stiffen under his touch.

"How about I take it from here?" He whispered into her ear. An involuntary shiver went down Tess's spine. He liked that he had that effect on her.

Tess simply nodded and released her death grip on the little girl's shoulders. Nate spun her around, a little quickly at first, but slower after she started whimpering. When she was fully facing him he began to skate backwards, keeping his eyes on her the entire time.

"Psh, showoff." Tess scoffed. Nate raised his eyebrow in that sexy way he had done back at the studio.

"That's nothing. You wanna see showing-off?" He asked, preparing to release her hands.

"No! Nate, don't let go!" Tess begged, tightening her grip.

"Relax, I'll only be gone for a second. You'll be fine. Trust me." He said, squeezing her hand reassuringly. Tess let out a deep breath, and relinquished his hand.

Tess watched in amazement as Nate kicked off with his left foot, sending him flying into the air, and watched as he did a back flip and landed perfectly on the ground.

"Like I said, showoff!" She called over to him. Trying something risky, Tess pushed off the ground and skated over to where he stood. She was doing fine until someone speed by her, throwing off her balance. She began falling forward, her arms outstretched and failing everywhere.

But, just as she was about to hit the ground, her knight in shining armor, Nate, grabbed her by the arms. Her breath caught as he helped her up to her feet. They were in such close proximity, that she could feel his muscles through his shirt.

"See, I told you you could trust me." He whispered. Tess nodded, her eyes never leaving his. Slowly, they started to lean in towards each other.

"Tess! Oh, Tess!" The annoying, high-pitched voice of a certain assistant called out. Nate and Tess broke apart the instant his voice hit their ears.

She looked up at Nate, an apologetic smile on her face. "I suppose I should go. Preston awaits." She said, rolling her eyes and nodding in his direction.

"Yeah, right." He said, looking down. Just as Tess was about to turn around and leave, she heard Nate's voice. "Lemme see your phone." He held out his hand.

"Alright?" She said, handing him her cellphone. He pressed a few buttons before handing it back to her. "What'd you do?" She questioned, replacing her phone in her pocket.

"Nothing." He said, giving her a mysterious smile before skating off in the opposite direction.

When Tess finally arrived back at the side of the rink, she was not in a good mood, despite her almost kiss with a member of the hottest band in America.

"What's your problem?" Preston asked, following Tess closely behind. Tess dug her nails into the skin of her palm, and gritted her teeth. If it wasn't for the fact that he was her mother's 'best friend', she would've punched him.

"Don't talk to me." Tess hissed. For once, Preston did what he was told and kept his mouth shut until they reached her hotel.

**A/N: And I bet everyone thought they were going to kiss. Well, ha ha. HA! I'm sorry, but what's the point in having them kiss this early? Then, the whole plot would be ruined. And we certainly can't have that. So, review! Tell me if you liked this chapter.**

Peace.Love.Jonas.


	7. A Wintery Revelation

**Dedicated to Shizuku Tsukishima749  
Okay, I want to dedicate so many chapters to some many reviewers, and I can't seem to write fast enough! So, just warning you to be on the lookout for your dedication!  
Have you heard the song Miss Popularity By Jordan Pruitt? Because, other than it being an awesome song, I think it's perfect for Tess.**

It had been two months since their almost kiss, and Nate couldn't stop thinking about Tess. Nearly everything he did reminded him about her. It was weird, because he'd never actually felt this way about someone before. Sure, he'd had crushes. But none this serious. He even wrote a song for her.

Not that he'd ever let anyone know that.

"Catch!" Jason shouted. Nate blinked out of his trance just in time to see a football flying at his head. He caught it just in time, and threw it back to Jason.

"How do you do that?" Shane called.

"Do what?" Nate called back. Shane was about to respond, when Jason threw the ball at Shane's face.

"Ow!" He shouted as the leather ball bounced of his face and fell to the soft grass below. Nate and Jason laughed as Shane sent a death glare at Jason. "It's not funny." He shouted.

"If you were paying attention, it wouldn't have happened!" Nate yelled over to him. Shane turned his glare over to Nate before storming off inside.

"What's his problem?" Nate asked, crinkling his brows as Jason walked over.

"Maybe he's upset that he can't do that." Jason suggested, giving Nate his signature smile.

"Do what?" Nate repeated. Jason shrugged before heading off in the direction of Shane. Nate sighed as he looked up to the clear blue sky. _I wonder what Tess is doing._ As if on cue, his phone began to ring in his pocket. A smile made its way onto Nate's face as he flipped the phone open.

"Hey, Tess."

--

_Two months later_

"You know, Christmas is coming up soon, and I still haven't found anything for like half of my friends. Which reminds me, what do you want for you the big day? I mean I know if you tell me, then you're going to know what I'm getting you, but that doesn't really matter does it? Cause I'm probably going to just buy it with you while we're shopping today . . ." Tess's phone was pressed up against her ear as she listened to her best friend, Tiffany, ramble on about something or other. She wasn't really paying attention. It wasn't that she didn't care what Tiffany was saying, it was just that she was trying to get through the crowded streets of New York, without stepping in slush puddles. Which, at the moment, seemed nearly impossible.

"Tiffany," Tess snapped causing her friend to stop short of what she was saying, "did you find it absolutely necessary to ramble on like that?" Tess paused to let her friend say something, but when the other line was silent, she continued. "I have to go. I'm almost there." With that Tess ended the call. She shivered when a gust of frigid air swept through the streets. Tess sighed and her breath came out in a cloud of gray air. Her eyes flicked over to the street sign, before she hurried off to her destination.

When she finally arrived, she burst into the cafe, quickly shedding her coat and bag in the nearest chair. The warmth the store gave off turned her red cheeks back to her normal, pale complexion in a matter of minutes.

"Hey, Tess." A friendly worker greeted. Tess gave her a strained smile as she glanced around.

"Tess! Over here!" A perky brunette called, waving her tanned arm in the air. Tess felt that spark of jealousy she always did when she was around Tiffany. Despite it being the middle of winter in New York, and the sun showing its face only once or twice a week, the ravishing amber haired beauty was able to keep her summery tan.

Tess sauntered over to the table Tiffany saved for them, and sat in the empty chair. "Whose ready for a fun afternoon of shopping?" Tiffany asked, her smile bright and hopeful. Tess simply examined her nails. Tiffany's smile faltered and eventually turned into a frown. The two sat in awkward silence for a few minutes, until Tess's phone began ringing. "Whose calling?" Tiffany asked in her over-excited way.

"No one." Tess mumbled, typing something on her phone.

"Who texted you then?" Tiffany asked, trying to get a good look a the phone's screen.

"No one you know." She snapped, pulling the phone closer to her body as she continued the text. Tiffany huffed angrily as she sat back in her chair.

"When are you going to tell me who this mystery guy of yours is?" Tiffany whined, making a moderately grotesque face. Tess raised her brows in a disgusted way, before turning her attention back to her phone. "I mean you've been talking to him for like a year-"

"It's only been four months, Tiff." Tess interrupted, but Tiffany continued her rambles, not even acknowledging Tess's interruption.

"And we when he calls or texts you completely ignore whatever's going on around you. You talk about him like he's God or something. You're like always thinking about him, and I know you are because you have that dreamy look on your face like you do when you talk to him. It's like you're. . ." Here Tiffany trailed off, his eyes growing large and her mouth falling open.

"It's like I'm what?" Tess asked coolly, locking her eyes with Tiffany's. Tiffany's mouth slowly turned into a huge smile, one that showed nearly all of her teeth. That only meant one thing, she had a secret. "What?" Tess snarled. Tiffany reached out and placed her hand gently on Tess's.

"This may be hard for you to hear, but you're in love, Tess." Tess's light blue eyes turned a frighteningly dark color and she riped her hand out from Tiffany's.

"I'm not in love with Nate." Tiffany's smile just grew wider, until it seemed if she smiled anymore her face would break.

"Ha! Now, I know his name! And I know you love him. If you didn't then you wouldn't have reacted that way."

"Tiffany, you're really stupid sometimes. I don't love Nate. We're just friends. That's all there is to it." Tess snarled angrily. Tiffany frowned at her friend's comment and kept silent until they finished their coffee.

But, even as Tess was buttoning up her coat, she knew Tiffany was at least participially right. Maybe Tess wasn't in love with Nate, yet. But she knew she was falling in love with him. And strangely enough, that was okay with her.

**A/N: This one is a short, filler chapter, just something for all you faithful readers waiting for an update. But its important none-the-less. But I'm excited for the next few chapters, a lot's going to be happening! YAY! So, review, and let me know how excited you are!  
And I know Tiffany said 'like' a lot, but that's how she's supposed to talk.**

Peace.Love.Jonas.


	8. Christmas Shopping Blues

**Dedicated to bdwy411, who left an amazing review that left me speechless for minutes! He has been a faithful reader since the beginning.  
I'm so excited for this chapter! YAY! I'm not even going to bother with the boring stuff. On to the excitement!**Tess picked up a light cerulean colored sweater and held it up to herself. Glancing in the mirror, she smiled blithely. The light color brought out her blue eyes nicely, and made her blonde locks appear shinier. Content with her choice, she placed the sweater atop the already very large pile of clothes she had picked out.

"Tess! Tess!" Tiffany's over-excited voice hit Tess's ears, ruining her moment of peace.

"What Tiffany?" Tess's voice came out harshly. Tiffany seemed slightly hesitant of continuing, but seemed to decide that it was much to important to not tell her.

"One of the member's of Connect Three is here!" At this Tess lifted her head and began looking around. Her anger visage quickly dropping and being replaced with excitement.

"Who?"

"Um . . . the short cute one." Tiffany sighed in a melancholy way, "I can never remember their names."

"Fascinating." Tess said, feigning interest. That's when she spotted the familiar head of curly hair. A large grin broke out on her face as she started walking towards him. Tiffany grabbed her hand and pulled her back around to face her.

"What are you doing? You can't just go up to a huge star like him." She exclaimed and Tess just smirked in response.

"Watch me."

--

"Nate, do you like this?" Alexis asked, holding up a bright pink shirt that was obviously two sizes too small for her. He winced as she tried to pose with it held up against her.

"Don't you think it's a little too short?"

"No, silly. That's how it's supposed to look." She giggled girlishly before walking toward the dressing room, her hips moving unnaturally. _She is such an attention queen._ He thought, shaking his head pensively.

As he picked up another shirt, he felt a small tap on his left shoulder. _Please tell me this isn't another fan._ He prayed, rolling his. He turned around, a fake smile placed on, when he saw the manger of the store.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd please move. You're blocking the sale sign." The elderly man said. There were wrinkles around his mouth from the man's constant frowning. Nate nodded as he picked up Alexis' stuff and moved. He dropped the stuff, rather unkindly, into an empty chair used for waiting. As he turned around to resume his shopping, he had to stop himself from completely running into another figure.

"We really have to stop meeting like this." She spoke softly, her face beaming with happiness.

"Tess!" He shouted causing a few people to look over at his outburst. But he didn't care. He wrapped his arms around Tess's small body and hugged her tightly. "What're you doing here?"

"Shopping. That's what most people do in store's." She joked. He laughed along with her, and couldn't help but notice the way her eyes lightened when she laughed. He shrugged carelessly, but found he couldn't keep the smile off his face.

"Yeah, I guess." He mumbled before pulling Tess into another quick hug. She laughed as at the unexpected hug, but returned the favor. When they pulled away, Nate was pretty sure his face was matching Tess's.

But their perfect moment was ruining when Alexis re-entered the picture. She walked up to Nate, wrapped her arms around his neck, and placed a kiss on his soft lips.

--

Tess was pretty sure she stopped breathing when the gorgeous girl walked up to Nate and began making out with him. She grabbed onto the table for support, and desperately hoped that this was some crazy fan girl of his. When the two eventually broke apart, the girl turned her large, doe-like brown eyes on Tess.

"Whose this, Natey?" She asked in a voice so sugary-sweet that Tess was sure she'd get a toothache from talking to her for too long. Nate's face was flaming red, and he gulped before answering the mystery girl's question. Pulling herself together, Tess stuck out her right and hand and placed a fake smile on.

"I'm Tess." Her words dripping hatred. The girl took her hand lightly, but Tess gave it a hard squeeze and she let out a small yelp of pain.

"She's a friend from camp." Nate explained further. Never before had the word 'friend' caused Tess's heart to break.

"Oh, that's nice." The girl said, cocking her head to the side, so that it was touching Nate's as they stood there. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

"This is Alexis." Nate said softly, not meeting Tess's eyes. That didn't stop her from giving him a hard stare. Alexis elbowed Nate in the side. "My girlfriend." He whispered. And she thought seeing her kiss him was difficult. His words were barely audible in the loud, busy room, but that didn't stop them of echoing in her head.

"Girlfriend?" Tess asked breathlessly. He had failed to mention that little detail in all his messages. Sweeping away her emotions, she held her head up head, and turned her nose up in the air. "Well, then I guess I should get going." The ice in her voice was enough to match the winter outside. "Wouldn't want to ruin your afternoon." With that being said, she turned on her expensive Jimmy Choo shoes and walked back to Tiffany, standing there in absolute awe.

But as she walked away, she heard Nate utter her name, and it almost made her want to run back to him, throw her arms around his neck and never let go. But it was the words uttered after that that made her continue on her way, and pretend not to hear anything.

"Forget her, Nate. You have me."

**A/N: Haha, silly little readers. Did you not expect that coming? The genre does say 'drama', does it not? I'm so excited for the rest of the story. Finally things are taking off! There's so much drama coming up, and so much excitment. It's rather sad how excited I am for the next few chapters. So, review! Tell me whatcha think! And, if you all hate little Miss Alexis, lemme know with a review! (Don't worry I hate her too, but she's going to make for an interesting story, trust me).  
And all the character's I've introduced so far will play a somewhat major role in the whole 'Natess'ness going on. So that means more Lily, T.J., Andrea, and of course everyone's favorite, PRESTON!  
I was a little hyper writting this, too much Limeade will do that to ya!  
So sorry for these rambles. REVIEW! I update faster with reviews. And I know you all want to know what's going to happen next! Skips off singing One Love by Jordon Pruitt**

Peace.Love.Jonas.


	9. An Angsty End?

**Dedicated to D R O W N – I N – S E Q U I N S  
And I'm sending out an apology to bdwy411 for the typeo! She's a girl just to let everyone know, and I'm so sorry for the mistake. Stupid keyboard messed me up!  
So I've decided to do short little chapters, but get them out pretty quickly. Just because I think the words have a bigger impact that way. Who knows, I could be wrong.  
Warning- This one is very angsty.**

Tess sighed and let her body relax into the leather seats of her mother's limo. Her feet ached, her head was pounding, and her heart was breaking. She'd just spent five hours shopping with Tiffany, during one of the busiest weeks of the year, after the boy she thought she was falling in love with told her he was dating someone else. Putting on a mask for an entire day was tiring, but well worth it. Because of her years of experience she was able to make it through the day without letting a single tear fall. Which meant no one would notice she was slowly dying inside.

She slipped off her shoes, as cute as they were they were not made to walk in, and was painfully reminded of the first time she meet Nate. Just thinking of that made Tess's heart ache in a way it hadn't for years and brought those annoying unwanted tears back to her eyes.

_No, I refuse to cry. I will not give in._ She thought furiously, shaking her head.

"Get me home quickly." She shouted to the driver. Leaning her head against the cool window, she watched the gray sky empty rain on the people down below. For once she felt the world understood her pain. The sky was crying for her.

--

Nate sat there, in the Grand La Vie Hotel, silently berating himself for his foolish behavior earlier. _Why didn't I go after Tess and explain everything? But then again, why should I have to? It's not like I lied to her, I just didn't tell her everything._ Sighing grimly, he ran his fingers through hair. If only he had one more chance to explain. He was absolutely positive she'd never speak to him again.

It was as if fate had heard his silent plea, for at that moment Tess walked through the double French doors, a bellhop carrying her bags following closely behind. This was his moment. He had to talk to her. It was now or never.

"Tess!" He called out, jumping up from his seat. She turned momentarily to see who called her name. When her eyes met his, however, she quickly turned and started off at a relatively fast speed towards the elevator. "_Damnit._" He muttered before taking off full speed towards her. She made it into the elevator before he got there, though. The doors closed and he caught a glimpse of her smiling victoriously. His eyes moved from the closed doors, to the numbers at the top, which were lighting to show which floor it was going to. He smiled when he saw she was stopping at floor 6.

Running up the first flight of stairs at lightning speed, he went over what he would say to Tess in his head. _First, start off about why you didn't tell her that you had a girlfriend. __**But that would mean knowing why you didn't tell her**__._ Another voice answered his first thought.

_Then, ask her for forgiveness, and pray she stays my friend._ Satisfied with that plan, he quicken his pace. His legs were screaming in protest as he took the last flight of stairs two at a time.

"Tess!" He yelled, pushing open the door. He caught one look at her before tripping and hitting his head on the ground.

--

"Nate? Nate?" A soft voice said. Nate felt a grin tug at his lips as he recognized the girl's voice. He opened his eyes slowly to see her face looming over his.

"Tess?" He whispered. That's when he felt a sharp pain on his left cheek. "Did you just slap me?" He asked dumbfounded. Tess nodded as she stood up.

"That was for lying to me." She said coolly, turning to leave. Nate jumped up, still a little dizzy from hitting his head, but he followed Tess anyway.

"Tess," He said, grabbing her hand. She wiped around so quickly he had to take a step back. "Please, I'm sorry, I just . . ." There he trailed off. Suddenly his plan didn't seem so foolproof.

"What?" She asked, obviously waiting for him to continue.

"I'm not really sure why I didn't tell you I was dating Alexis. I just thought you wouldn't want to know that."

"Yeah, well, I was kind of bombarded with that knowledge today wasn't I?" Tess snapped lividly. Nate cringed as she riped her hand from his and, with one last cold look, stalked back to her room.

--

Tess's breath became shaky the second her fingers touched the cool metal of the door handle. The tears came the second she set foot in the room. Her knee's gave out before she was able to get to her bed. The bellhop that had so dutifully followed her with her bags, placed them on one of the many couches before quietly making his exit. So, Tess sat there in the dark, alone in her room, crying her heart out, and no one was there to hear.

**A/N:Told ya it was angsty. I have to say, as sad as it is, I love the ending. But that's because I know what's going to happen and the rest of you wonderful readers don't. Hehe, I can't help but chuckle at that. Don't worry everything will work out in end. Maybe.  
But, the next chapter will be full of little rainbows and ponies! But that's only because it has Jason in it. AND LOTS OF HIM!  
BTW (You're lip gloss is so not glossy, (sorry I had to)) I've written a lot of these chapters at the same time, and I only post them depending on the amount of reviews I get. Since you guys have been so good about reviewing, it hasn't been a problem. But if you want to know what's going to happen I suggest you review!  
Now I'm wondering if anyone actually reads these things... hmm... tell me if you do in a review! And that rhymed! I am on a roll tonight!**

**I totally made that hotel up. It means the grand life hotel! yay for me!**

Peace.Love.Jonas.


	10. A Pony Named Rainbow

**Dedicated to SweetSmile16, to whom wrote her own one-shot of Tess/Nate. I loved it. You should totally cheek it out! And everyone was asking for Preston, who wasn't going to be in the story for a while. But I was hit with inspiration and he will be in this chapter! So, no worries!  
And this one is a longy, so I hope I get some good reviews for this. Lots to review.  
I also feel really bad for Nate...first everyone was telling me how much they love him; now everyone's telling me they hate him! Don't hate Nate, it'll all make sense later on, I promise!****  
**  
The rain gracefully hit the window, making little _pitter-patter_ sounds. Tess watched through red eyes, curled up in a soft blanket, and a cup of hot chocolate in her right hand. She took a deep breath and felt her nerves calm. _It sucks having your heart broken_. She decided, taking another long sip of the hot drink. She would allow herself only ten more minutes to sulk, before rejoining the world.

She was meeting her older sister, Lily, for an afternoon of shopping and dessert tasting for Christmas dinner. Just the thought of being with her sister brought a thin smile to her dull face.

A loud beeping noise drew her out of her thoughts. Taking a deep breath she stood up from the chair, letting the blanket fall down around her ankles, resembling her depressed feelings. She was going to take a nice hot shower, and wash away any thoughts of Nate and Alexis. After that she was going to put on her new sweater and a pair of fabulous jeans, and she was going to walk out of the hotel like she owned the place. Just like her mother had taught her to do.

_Just like Mom did when Dad left._ She reminded herself, as the scalding hot water hit her bare skin.

When her shower was over with, Tess combed and blow-dried her hair to perfection, pulled the cashmere sweater on over a thin tank-top, and slipped into her dark jeans. The last thing she needed was a great pair of shoe's to complete the outfit. As Tess looked into the full length mirror, and her reflection started back at her, she couldn't help but be proud. Just like her mother, she had pushed all thoughts of Nate into the deep recesses of her mind. After applying the last coat of lip gloss, she was finally ready to leave.

--

"So she just broke down crying in front of you? Like, the second you got into the room?" A short man with unruly red hair asked, his blue eyes wide with wonder. The taller one of the two, a gangly boy with long blond hair that covered his eyes, and ears that stuck out of his hair, nodded. "Hm, who know Tess Tyler actually had feelings?"

Shane sat up a little straighter at the mention of her name. _Tess was here? And she was crying? About what?_

"It was so weird. That guy from that band, Connect Three, just started talking to her, and she like freaked out at him." The short guy shook his head sadly.

"She must think herself to good to even talk to him." The taller guy shrugged and they both went their separate ways. They didn't know that another guy from that band was sitting there, a frown upon his gorgeous features, as he took in these words.

Meanwhile, in the room reserved for Connect 3, the remaining members sat trying to pass the time. The eldest one, Jason, was currently staring at himself in the mirror and playing with his long, straight locks. The other one, Nate, was messing around with one of the many guitars around the room.

"Do you think I'd look good with blond hair?" Jason asked out of nowhere. Nate stopped strumming to spare a confused look at Jason. But just as he was about to open his mouth to retort, the last member of the band come storming into the room.

"What's your problem?" Nate asked, altering his attention to Shane instead.

"Which one of you made Tess Tyler cry?" He demanded. Both the other two stared back at him, and an uncomfortable silence followed these words.

"Tess is here? Where? I wanna say hi!" Jason suddenly shouted, causing the other two to jump at his outburst.

"Why did I even ask?" Shane muttered, turning on Nate. "Why didn't you tell us you knew her? Is she this mystery girl you've been talking with?" Nate lowered his eyes as he slowly nodded. "Unbelievable." He mumbled before turning and walking out the room. Nate bit his lower lip as he threw himself onto the couch.

"Why is that unbelievable? I knew you were talking to her." Jason said, staring at the spot where Shane had been previously occupying.

"I'm not even going to ask how you knew that."

--

"Preston, must you follow me around. I'm meeting Lily here, so it's not like I'll be alone." Currently, the annoying assistant was sitting next to Tess in the car her mother had rented for Tess to get around in.

"Your mother's orders. You wanna complain, bring it up with the queen." He answered, flipping through his copy of _Cosmo_. "Hm mm. J. Lo lime green does nothing for you." He mumbled showing the dress to Tess. She rolled her eyes and grabbed the magazine from his hands. Rolling down the window she threw the thing out and watched as a large Pepsi truck ran over it.

"Oops." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"You meant to do that." Preston whined folding his arms and sinking into the seat.

"Your point?"

"You owe me 16.75."

"If I give you the money, will you shut the heck up?" She hissed. Preston shrugged like he didn't care, but she could tell he was watching her out the corner of his eye. She pulled out a 50 dollar bill and placed it in his palm. He smiled at Tess, and she huffed, clearly annoyed.

"What's got your Victoria's Secret panties in a bunch?" Preston asked, examining the bill like it held some sort of deep secret.

"Unbelievable. You didn't even last five minutes." She exclaimed exasperatedly.

"Boy troubles?" He asked, wiggling his thin brows up and down. Tess kept quite and Preston nodded. "So, is it that cute boy-bandy one that I saw you practically making out with at the roller rink a while back?" When Tess still didn't say anything, he knew he'd gotten it right. "So, what's the problem? Was it a one-night stand and he never called you back?" Tess glared at him, her mouth hanging open in disgust.

"We're not all like you, Mr. I-Slept-With-Lance-Bass." She snarled.

"True, true. Besides, you're a little too 'innocent' to be able to pull that off." Preston retorted with a wave of his hand.

"What that's supposed to mean?" But Preston never got the chance to answer, because at that moment a beautiful blonde slipped carelessly into the car.

"What's what supposed to mean?" She asked, smiling her brilliantly white toothed smile at the two.

"Nothing." Tess said quickly, earning a suspicious look from the girl.

"Don't mind her. She's just upset because some boy won't talk to her,"

"That's not why I'm upset." She snapped, sending a chilling glare at Preston.

"Boy troubles?" She asked, her face once again lighting up with her smile. "Hey, Richard, change of plans. Take us to that little coffee house on third. I want to hear all about Tessie's boy." She called up to the driver.

"Of course Miss Lily." And like that, the three turned onto another street and were heading of to Lily's desired location.

"Great to see you again, sis." Tess grumbled sarcastically.

--

"What should I name my webkinz? I was thinking rainbow." Jason said, playfully petting his new horse webkinz. Shane and Nate both rolled their eyes as their best friend stared affectionately at it.

"So, are you going to tell us about Tess? Or are we going to have to drag it out of you?" Shane asked after a moment of silence. Nate sighed before starting in on the epic story of Tess and Nate. When he finished both Shane and Jason were quiet for sometime. Jason was the first to speak.

"Seriously guys. I don't know what to name it." That got all three of them laughing, but Jason was clueless as to what was so funny.

"Well, it sounds like there's only one thing left to do." Shane said when they finally stopped laughing.

"What's that?"

"You've got to get her to forgive you."

"And how do you suppose I do that?" Nate asked. Shane nodded the direction of Jason, who was currently playing with a straw wrapper. Nate gave him a bemused look in return.

"No one can say no to Jason."

"You guys, my pony's name is Rainbow." Jason announced proudly, beaming at his bandmates.

**A/N: I promised you rainbows and ponies, so you got rainbows and ponies! Bet you're wondering what Jason's going to do, aren't cha? Well, if you want to find out, review! Because I hold the answer to that puzzling secret, and will only submit the next chapter when I get 10 reviews for his chapter! HAHA! I am evil. **

Peace.Love.Jonas.


	11. Secret Plans and Forgiveness

**A/N: Wow, when I said 10 reviews, I thought I'd be lucky to get like 12. But no, you guys really delivered. 23 reviews. 23! Thank you soooo much people! Really it nearly brought tears to my eyes! I'm sooo glad you all like this! So sorry it took this long to post. I've been really busy lately. And unfortunetly, I'm moving soon. Like in a week. So no updates until I get settled! I know, I'm really upset. But I'll try to get out as many as I can before than!**

**Dedicated to anyone who reviewed chapter 10!**

"Tess, it sounds like the only thing left to do is to forgive him. I mean he obviously cares about you." Preston interrupted Lily by scoffing.

"Though I haven't the fainest clue why." He was silenced by Lily's glare.

"He did run up six flights of stairs for you." She said, turning back to her younger sister, her face softening. Tess absentmindedly twisted her straw around in her drink before taking another long sip. They were siting in one of Lily's favorite coffee houses, and Tess had just revealed all the drama with Nate to them. She was glad to finally tell someone about it, but would have been happier if Preston wasn't there.

"No, the only thing left for her to do is to kick this Alexis girl's ass." The two sisters giggled at Preston's comment.

"There's that smile of yours." Lily said lightly. Tess looked up at her older sister with large eyes, like she used to when they were little. Before everything went wrong. Preston watched this little display of sisterly love with a scowl on his fake-tanned face.

"Listen girlfriend," Preston interrupted before the two girls started crying. "If you want to win this guy's heart over, you have to do it from the inside. And that means becoming friends with him again."

"What are you talking about?" Tess asked, tearing her eyes away from her sister.

"You can't just sit here pathetically like this. It's weird. I don't like it, it's causing me to pity you. Now, you don't want me to pity you do you?"

"No, I guess not." Tess said stiffly, switching her crossed legs over to the other one.

"Good, than listen up. You've got to make this guy realize what he's missing. And you've got to make him realize what a little bitch this Alexis girl is."

"How do you suppose I do that?" Preston sighed over-dramatically and moved his eyes up to the sky.

"Haven't you been listening to anything I say? Cause if you were, then you'd already know the answer to that!"

"All you said was . . ." Tess trailed off as that malevolent smile of hers returned.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the bitch is back!" Preston shouted, throwing his fists in the air.

--

"I don't know what to say to her! What if she doesn't like me!" Jason squirmed and tried to get out of Shane's hold on him.

"Everyone likes you Jason." Nate cooed, hoping to convince him.

"Nuh huh. Remember that squirrel at the park last spring. He didn't like anyone . . ." But Nate stopped listening there. His mind drifted off to thoughts of Tess.

Although they'd only know one another for about four months, he still felt closer to her then most people. He'd told her secrets no one else knew. And he was sure that she'd reciprocated the favor. In all honesty, he didn't know what he'd do if Tess refused to be his friend.

His thoughts were interrupted by Tess's entrance, though. She walked in like she owned the place, a mystic self-confidence surrounding her. A light breeze followed her into the room, catching her hair and blowing it around her face.

"Go," He heard Shane hiss from somewhere behind him. In a few seconds, Jason was in Nate's line of view, and slowly making his way towards Tess.

Nate watched Jason work his charm on Tess, unknowingly crossing his fingers. At first she seemed cold towards his company, a strained smile on her thin lips. Then Jason said something that caused Tess to look over and met his eyes. _Shit, she knows I'm watching her. _He mentally swore.

A shiver went through his spine at the coldness in her eyes. Just as he expected their plan to have failed miserably, she tore her eyes away from his and back to Jason's face. He must of said something pretty spectacular, because she seemed to relax in his presence. When Jason was done saying whatever he wanted to say, Tess did something Nate thought he'd never see her do again. She laughed. It was one of those laughs that make you throw your head back, and laugh long, loud, and hard. Normally, when people did that, it annoyed him. But when Tess did that, it only made her seem even more beautiful.

--

Once Tess had finished laughing, she wiped the tears from her eyes, and boldly did what most girls would be too afraid to do. She walked right over to Nate.

"If you keep hiding in the bushs, people'll get the wrong idea." Was the first thing out of her mouth. Nate looked a little unsure, as he stood up to his full height.

"You're not mad?" His voice was small, and she realized then how sorry he actually was. She shrugged nonchalantly, acting like the whole fight was over nothing.

"It depends." A secretive smile crossed her lips.

"On what?" Another voice spoke. She turned quickly to see whom this voice belonged to. Her smile quickly disappeared, and was replaced with a deep frown, when she saw it was Shane. She ignored his statement and turned back to Nate, her shoulder sticking out sharply in Shane's direction. She wasn't ready to forgive him.

"It depends," She continued like Shane had never spoken. "On if you can forgive me for being such a bitch." She tried to speak sincerely, but even she never her voice was unconvincing. _Ugh, that's so corny. He's never going to buy that._ Tess thought as she resisted the urge to wince. Nate seemed surprised by her words.

"Um, yeah. I think I can." He scratched his head and an uncomfortablesilence settled over them. Tess fiddled with her braclet, Nate tapped his hand against his thigh, and Shane was busy looking around the large marble room.

"Guys!" Jason yelled, running over and saving any of them from saying anything. He stopped just short of hitting Shane. A large, goofy smile was spread across his face, and he was breathing heavily. "There's someone here to see you."

"I guess I should go." Tess mumbled, secretly thankful for the outsider's intrusion.

"No," Jason shook his head wildly. "You know her too. Come on!" He urged, grabbing both Shane and Tess's arms, and dragging them forward. Nate had no other choice but to follow closely behind.

"Can we talk later?" Shane whispered to Tess, making sure neither Nate nor Jason heard him. Tess ignored his words and kept her gaze ahead of her. "Please?" Tess rolled her eyes._ He sounds so pathetic._

"Fine." She hissed. Shane grinned at her, and she was about to comment on his action, when Jason suddenly stopped. A loud scream echoed in the lobby, and a brunette ran forward and threw her arms around Shane's neck. Shane laughed and spun her around. Tess wasn't able to get a good look at her face, as she hugged Nate. But the second she spoke, Tess knew who it was.

"It's so good to see you guys again! I can't wait to spend Christmas with you." The girl laughed, but her laughter was stopped short when she looked up and met Tess's icy blue eyes, both the girl's eyes holding shock.

"H- Hi, Tess." She stuttered.

"Hello, Mitchie."

**A/N: Haha, this is such a great chapter! I'm so happy. See, my long absence paid off! I was able to write this great chapter. I'm not going to demand reviews, since I was a little mean last time, but if I only get like...4 or 5 reviews than I won't update until after I move. Okay, so I am kind of demanding, but whatever. Since I know what you guys are capable of, I'm going to be expecting a lot more reviews. But anyway, chapter 12 is also up, so go read that.**

Peace.Love.Jonas.


	12. Rainbows Explained

**A/N: This is just a filler chapter. To fill in the holes chapter 11 left. Please review!**

**Dedicated to gypsyeyes91**

"All you said was . . ." Suddenly Tess was hit with an idea. What was she doing? Tess Tyler doesn't sit and sulk in a coffee shop about a boy she has a stupid little crush on. She fights for him. And that's exactly what she was going to do. The only question was of how she going to do that.

Preston did say she needed to be friends with him again. Although she'd never admit it aloud, she agreed with him. Much easier to get him to fall in love with her that way.

But how was she supposed to achieve that difficult task?

That was one obstacle she could come over in time. Right now she had to figure out to be friends with Nate once more. So, Tess sat there and considered every different possible way to make that happen. And as she sat there, the fire returned to her dull eyes, turning them to a brilliant blue, and the corners of her mouth turned up in a half smile.

--

As her heels hit the marble floor of the hotel, Tess went over the plan once more in her. Although she was ready to put said plan into action, she wasn't expecting the final member of Connect 3 to approach her. The boy walked over, more than a little hesitantly, with a goofy smile on his face. Tess's first reaction to him was to regard him a coolly as possibly so that he'd leave. That was until she saw Nate hiding in the bush's.

"Hey Tess." Jason started, a little quietly. Tess turned her gaze to him and smiled. It was weird acting all nice around a guy she normally wouldn't give a second glance to.

"Hi Jason."

"Shane and Nate sent me over to get you to stop being mad at Nate." He said bluntly. Tess's smile twitched at his name, but she managed to keep it in place.

"Is that so?" She asked, feigning shock. She raised one brow questionably.

"Yeah. I think he thinks you hate him. But I know that's not true."

"Really? How do you know that?" Now she directed her focus to Nate. Their eyes met, hers holding nothing but cold fury.

"It's simple. You guys are like Rainbow." Tess riped her eyes from Nate's and gave Jason a confused look.

"Who the hell's Rainbow."

"My pony." He stated simply. Tess's mouth was half open, ready to ask another question, but she shook it off and instead asked,

"How are we like Rainbow?"

"You're like rain. Cold, beautiful, and enchanting at the same time. A lot of people don't like rain," Tess frowned at this, but Jason didn't seem to notice because he continued gaily. "But there are a few who do like rain. And Nate's like the sun. Everybody likes Nate. He's happy and warm. But, on the few occasions that the sun shows it's face the same time as it rains, it creates a beautiful rainbow. That's what you guys are like. Your love's like a rainbow." He finished was a blank smile on his face. Somewhere during Jason's speech, Tess's mouth had fallen open.

Then she did something that both scared and shocked everyone, including herself. She laughed. She laughed in spite of everything that had happened to her recently. It felt good to laugh, she noticed. And in that moment, all of her anger towards Nate disappeared into thin air. Well, almost all her anger.


	13. Our Last Summer

**A/N: This chapter should fill you all in on why Shane cared so much about Tess. A little look into the past...kinda. Anyhoo, enjoy!**

**BTW, there's something everyone needs to read at the bottom of the page. In the author's note.**

"Shane! What is she doing here? You told me you weren't friends with her!" Although Mitchie and Shane had retired to another room, so as not to be heard, everyone in the next room could clearly hear what they were saying. Tess, Nate, and Jason sat in complete silence in Connect Three's living room. If you asked them, they would deny listening in, but that would be a lie.

"Mitchie, I can't help it if she _lives_ here!" Shane yelled.

"Yeah, but you can help it that you're hanging out with her!" Mitchie shouted back. "You know what she did to Caitlyn and I! Or did you forget?"

"No, I didn't forget. But I wasn't the one hanging out with her. Nate's friends with her." Shane's voice was much louder than it was before.

"Then why didn't you tell me that?" Mitchie's voice had dropped to a much lower volume, and the other three had to strain their ears just to hear.

"Because . . . because I just found out recently. Trust me Mitchie, if I had known Nate was talking to her, I would have told you." Shane's voice sounded like a whisper in the next room. Tess looked down, clearly hurt by what Shane and Mitchie had said. Nate took note of this, and moved closer to her.

"Tess . . ." He said softly, reaching for hand.

"I should go." She said abruptly, standing up and leaving Nate's hand in midair.

"No, we want you to stay." Nate said, also standing. He gave Jason a look that said agree-with-me. Luckily Jason noticed this and nodded his head.

"Yeah, stay." Tess laughed, but it was a hollow and emotionless laugh.

"Maybe you want me to, but I'm pretty sure those two," She nodded at the door which Shane and Mitchie had disappeared behind. "Don't want me here."

"Maybe not, but_ I _want you to stay." Nate whispered, taking her hand in his. Tess smiled wearily at him, but removed her hand.

"Really, I should get going. I need to . . . call my father." Nate nodded. He understood Tess's and her father's relationship. he wasn't sure if she was lying or not, but decided to let it go.

"I'll see you tomorrow, right?" Tess nodded and headed for the door just as Shane and Mitchie emerged from their room. The tension in the air was so thick, Nate could barely breath. Tess and Mitchie stared coldly at each other before Tess stormed out the room.

"You know, Tess heard every word you said." Nate suddenly turned angrily on Shane and Mitchie. "You just couldn't have bothered to keep your voice's down could you?"

"Hey, this isn't her fault! If you'd have told us about you and Tess earlier this wouldn't have happened." Shane bit back, his angry tone matching Nate's.

"It's none of your business who I'm friends with!" Nate was now yelling.

"Right, because you and Tess are 'just friends'."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, come off it. We all know how you look at her. You obviously feel more for her than friendship."

"You're insane." Nate said darkly, his voice suddenly quiet. He walked towards the door, leaving the argument behind.

"Where are you going?" Jason yelled after him.

"To get some air." Nate barked back before slamming the door, making everyone jump.

"Nice going, Shane." Jason said, narrowing his eyes at him. With that, Jason grabbed Rainbow and retreated to his room. Mitchie sighed and took a seat on the couch.

"This isn't really what I had in plan for my vacation." She mumbled as Shane took a seat next to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"I know. But everything'll be better soon. I promise." He whispered into hair. She smiled up at him, and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"You better be right." Shane smiled cockily.

"I'm always right." He joked. They laughed and snuggled in closer.

--

"Tess?" A male voice spoke into the darkness. A light suddenly turned on in the far corner, Tess's slim figure illuminated under it. The light bounced off the shadows in the room, lighting up parts of Shane's face, and making him even more handsome.

"Shane." Tess's voice was as cold as the room they were in.

"Why'd you want to met here?" Shane asked, sitting on a wooden box. When Shane had slipped out from his room earlier, he went straight to Tess's room and asked to speak to her. She had told him she was busy, but she would meet him in janitor's closet on the fourth floor. He hadn't questioned the location, until now that is.

"Because no ones going to bother us here." She stated simply. They sat in quiet stillness for a few minutes until Shane brought up subject of his and Tess's past.

"I'm sorry, just so you know."

"No you're not." Shane sighed irritatedly. How was he supposed to apologize if she wouldn't listen to him? "If you were truly sorry, you would've reached out to me much earlier. The only reason you're apologizing now is because I'm friends with your friend, and you'll be forced to see me." Shane winced as he realized all of that was true. Tess had that certain way of always reading him perfectly.

"Okay, so that's true. But I'm still here apologizing now." Tess kept quiet waiting for him to continue. "I know what I did was wrong, but I just couldn't face you. Not after . . . not after everything that happened." He paused and waiting for Tess to respond to that. She didn't. She just sat in her corner, completely silent. Just as he was about to give up, she finally spoke.

"You really hurt me." Her voice sounded broken, like she was trying to keep from crying. "That summer before you left. Down by the lake . . . when you kissed me-" She broke off as a sob escaped her. Shane wanted to go over and comfort her, but he wasn't sure if that's what she wanted. "I was sure you loved me. Then you went away and became famous. That was bound to happen, you had too much talent to not get discovered. But I always thought, always believed, that you would remember me, and that one day you'd come back.

"Then, at camp, when I heard you were going to be a consular, I could hardly contain my excitement. Then you ignored me all summer. You didn't even give me a second glance. You were too caught up with Mitchie." Tess sounded bitter as she talked about camp. Hurt and bitter. "That's what hurt the most. Not that you had moved on, or that you didn't want me anymore. It's that you ignored me. You didn't even bother to say hi." Tess wiped the tears from her checks harshly, like if she was seen crying Shane wouldn't respect her anymore. "I had to do something to get you to notice me again."

Shane listened quietly as Tess retold their tale. _Gosh, I'm such a jerk!_ He thought, knitting his brows.

"I'm sorry, Tess. I never meant to hurt you. I guess, the truth was, I was too afraid to talk to you again. I thought you wouldn't want me anymore. You know, since I'd changed. I was ashamed. Then I met Mitchie. She seemed . . . I don't know. She seemed to accept me. And I didn't think. I didn't think about anyone but myself. And that's what I'm sorry about. I'm sorry I hurt you and that I didn't think of you." Shane sighed, relieved to finally get all that off his chest. "Can you forgive me?" His question hung in the air for a few moments. Tess sighed playfully.

"I guess I could." They both laughed and Shane stood up, his arms open waiting for a hug.

"Get over here, girl." Tess stood up and ran into his arms. "I missed hugging you." He whispered.

"Me too." She sniffled and rested her head on his shoulder. They stood there hugging for a few silent moments. "Shane?" Tess's voice was muffled by his shoulder.

"What?"

"We can be still be friends right?" He laughed and hugged her tighter.

"I sure hope so!"

**A/N: I didn't really like the ending of this, but I had no other way to end it, and I needed to get to the next chapter, just cause it's so much fun! YAY!**

**CHALLENGE:I would like to invite you all to join in a little challenge I've invented. All you have to do is describe Nate's personality (the one I've created, not the one from the movie). You see, I was thinking last night, and I could describe all my other characters, but I could describe Nate's! So, the winner of this challenge gets to be put in a future chapter of the story! Are you excited? I am. So that means leave a review to enter!**

Peace.Love.Jonas.


	14. Fights, When Will They End?

**A/N: Read this chapter and review. If you don't, I won't post the next chapter. HAHAHA! Yes, I'm doing it again, but this time I want...16 reviews! Mwhahaha**

**Sorry, my little greedy review power surge is over. But seriously guys, you have been lacking in the review department lately. And reviews make me feel better about my story! Plus, you'll want me to post the next few chapters cause they're the best yet! Ehh, I'm excited.**

The next morning, after hers and Shane's encounter, Tess was feeling rather good about herself. Her and Nate had made up. Her and Shane had resolved their issues. And Mitchie? Well, she could deal with Mitchie later. Right now she needed to focus on taking down Alexis.

She strode through the lobby of her hotel, her head held high and her stride confident. She held an iced coffee from Gloria Jeans in her right hand, and her left she gripped two shopping bags.

"Good morning Miss Tyler," Stu, the doorman, tipped his hat to her. She smiled brightly at him, a welcomed change to her normal nasty comments on his outfit.

"It is a good morning, isn't it?" She replied happily, glancing out at the bright blue sky. The clouds had finally left New York, and the sun was shining brightly down at it's citizens. Tess continued walked and she began to hum an unfamiliar tune.

"Someone's in a good mood today." A boy lightly commented, brushing against his shoulder against Tess's. Tess smiled at him, a smile that lit up her whole face and reached her eyes.

"It's a good day." She replied, slowing her pace and turning to face him. He cocked his head to the side and raised his right brow.

"Is it?" She nodded happily, trying to suppress her smile at least a little. She didn't have to let on that she was _that _happy. "What'd you buy?" He asked next, reaching for one of her bags. He took the string of one of them and tried to peer in, but Tess yanked them away.

"Nate, don't look." She said.

"Is it for me?" He asked, suddenly very curious in the bags. He reached out to grab it again, and Tess took a few steps back.

"Maybe. Maybe not. I'm still not letting you look." Nate stuck his lower lip out in a pout. "Nope. Sorry. Weren't you going somewhere?" Nate sighed and began walking backwards toward the door.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going."

"Bye," Tess said playfully, waving at him. She bite her lower lip to keep from smiling so much, and walked over to the elevator. She yawned and tapped her foot against the floor waiting for the one to arrive. When it finally did, she and an elderly man got in. Tess pressed the button for floor 6. The man pressed the button for floor 9.

"Hold the elevator!" Someone shouted. Since she was in a good mood, Tess held out her foot to stop the doors from closing. That's when Mitchie's overly happy face appeared in the elevator. Tess's mood darken considerably.

"Oh," Was all Mitchie said, as she awkwardly walked into the crammed space. "Maybe I should get another one." She mumbled.

"Good idea." Was Tess's snarky reply. Mitchie glared at her. Just as she was about to walk out, the doors closed. Tess and Mitchie frowned at the same time. The three people stood in awkward silence for a few minutes.

"Did you really hear everything Shane and I said last night?" Tess barely nodded her head, but it was enough to make Mitchie feel a pang of guilt. "Sorry." She winced.

"No you're not. Gosh, I really wish people would stop saying that. If you were really sorry, you wouldn't have said that." Tess snapped. Mitchie lowered her eyes for a few seconds, before lifting her eyes again, this time angrily.

"I'm assuming you two know each other." The elderly man said, looking between the two teen girls.

"You're right. I'm not sorry. And I shouldn't be. Because, you're a bitch. You walk around here like you own the place, and you expect everyone to bow down to your feet." Tess was taken aback. _No body talked to Tess Tyler that way. No body._

"That's not very nice." The man commented, though no one was quite sure what he meant, Mitchie calling Tess a bitch, or Tess acting like one.

"FYI, _Mitchie_, I do own this place. Well, my mother does, but she's never here, so it's basically mine. And where do you get off calling me a bitch? You're the one who went around all summer lying about who you were." Tess sneered.

"Oh, get over that! Everyone else has. And it wasn't like it was a huge lie. All I did was tell a few people my mom worked in a higher position then she actually did."

"Are you seriously defending what you did? You lied to an entire camp! You told them your mom worked at Hot Tunes China, when she really worked in the kitchen!" The old man gasped.

"You did?!" He asked, shocked.

"Well, if I hadn't lied, I wouldn't have made any friends. _We _wouldn't have been friends." Mitchie pointed out. Tess scoffed and the old man made a patronizing face at Mitchie.

"Nobody would've cared who your parents are." Mitchie laughed, unbelieving.

"Yeah right, Tess. If I hadn't told you my mom was famous, then you never would've talked to me. Face it, my lie was the whole reason we were friends." An uncomfortable silence settled over them.

"So I guess our whole friendship was a lie." Tess mumbled as the gold doors slid open. She grabbed her bags and hurried out of the elevator. Mitchie sighed and leaned her head against one of the walls.

"That was pretty harsh." The old man commented once more. Mitchie rolled her eyes at him but kept silent.

--

"Shane!" Mitchie whined, turning away from Tess's door. "Please don't make me do this." Shane shook his head, his lips set in small frown.

"Mitchie, if we're going to live through this holiday, we need _everyone _to get along. That includes you and Miss Diva." Mitchie rolled her brown eyes. As much as she hated to admit it, Shane was right. The holiday's would be a lot more peaceful without the two girls fighting every minute. "Besides, the spirit of Christmas is all about forgiving." He urged pushing Mitchie towards the door. Mitchie took one last deep breath before entering the lion's den. Figuratively of course.

"Hello?" Answered a laughing Tess. Her happyness immediately fell away when saw Mitchie there. "What?" Her tone was chilly, and Mitchie sent one last pleading look in Shane's direction.

"I wanted to talk." She tried to sound hopeful and happy, but it came out a bit screechy. Tess stepped to the left to let Mitchie enter her room. Shane was about to follow when Tess held out her hand.

"Girl's only." She explained before shutting the door in his face. Shane sighed and leaned against of the wall facing Tess's door as he waited for them to finish. About five minutes later the door open to reveal a very angry Mitchie.

"Ugh, you're such a stuck up little priss. I don't even know why I came here! Come on, Shane." She yelled, stalking out of the room and starting off down the hallway without Shane.

"That's rich coming from an annoying little kitchen mouse." Tess yelled after her. After a short pause Tess also added, "And you aren't even that great of a singer!" Mitchie held up her left hand in a rather adult gesture. Shane winced as he ran after her.

_That went well._ He thought sarcastically.

**A/N: Don't worry, Tess and Mitchie will reach some sort of . . . agreement in the next few chappies. But only if you review. As for the contest, I've only gotten three entries. Are those the only people who want to enter? Cause if they are, then I minds as well put all of them in the story. If you want to try in be in it, I need to see them people!**

Peace.Love.Jonas


	15. The 7 Things

**A/N: Okay, so the contest is over with. And I only got a few entries (pout). But whatever. So, I got two REALLY good descriptions. So I just decided to put them both in the story! Congrats to gypsyeyes91 and PONED by the Underdog 8D for winning.**

"So are you going to come?" Nate asked over iced mocas. Tess and him were seated in the back corner of a local Starbucks, and he'd just finished telling her about a party Connect Three's record company was throwing for them. Tess shrugged as she concentrated on the soft music playing on the radio. The current song ended and Miley Cyrus's _7 Things_ came on. Tess lightly hummed along to the first chorus before coming up with an answer.

"Will Alexis be there?" Nate paused, and that was enough of an answer for her. "Nope. Not going." She was lucky enough to avoid her for the past few days, but she knew she wouldn't be able to keep that up if her plan was going to work. All she needed was for Nate to want her there more then he wanted Alexis.

"Why?"

"Nate," Tess gave him the look that said are-you-kidding-me. "We didn't exactly get off to a great first meeting."

"That's what second chances are for! Please? You don't even have to see her."

"But I _will_ see her. Nate, she's your _girlfriend_. If I'm going to be hanging out with you at all, then she's going to be right there next to you." It was getting harder and harder for Tess to keep her smile hidden. Nate was playing right into her hands.

"Not the _entire_ night." _She shoots, _She thought and mentally high-fived herself. But she had to keep her face straight in order to get what she wanted. _I should win an Oscar for this performance. _Tess tried to look indifferent about the situation, and it worked. "What if I promised to spend at least half the night with you." _And she scores! Ladies and Gents, that is what a real actress looks like._

"Deal." Tess looked up and the two locked eyes. Her breath caught in her throat as he smiled reassuringly at her. No one had made her feel this way, not even Shane. The last lines of Miley's song played Tess's head as the two sat there, _The 7 things I like the most that you do, you make me love you._

--

"I need to look absolutely perfect." Tess called over the dressing room door. Her and her friends were shopping for the perfect dress for Nate's party. No such luck in finding one that would cause Nate's jaw to drop to the floor, but Tess wasn't about to give up.

"Why?" Tiffany called back.

"Why what?"

"Why do you need to 'look absolutely perfect'?" Tess paused pulling her pants up half way. She needed to think of an excuse, and quick.

"Because . . . because everyone there is going to look amazing, and I can't have people overshadowing me." She replied, despratedly hoping that would suffice. It seemed to work.

"Oh, alright. Ooh, cute shirt." Tiffany said, losing interest in their conversation as she wondered off after yet another expensive article of clothing she didn't need. Tess rolled her eyes at her air-headed friend. She searched the store for her other friends, Danica and Jaclyn. Her eyes landed on them, both tugging on the same shirt. Danica had her long dark locks falling down her back gracefully, and Tess felt that pang of jealousy she always did when Danica was around. Danica was the one all the guys wanted, and therefore Tess's least favorite friend.

Jaclyn, on the other hand, made Tess feel even prettier, but that was mostly just because she constantly told Tess how pretty she was. Just like Danica and Tiffany, Jaclyn had dark brown hair and brown eyes. But her hair was always tied up in a high ponytail or tight bun, while Danica liked to show off her beautiful thick hair by wearing it down, and Tiffany didn't really care either way. Tess was rather proud of herself at her choice of friends. All dark haired and dark eyed, made Tess's blond locks and blue eyes stand out even more with them around. Which made people notice Tess. Which made her happy.

"That top looks better on Jackie." Tess announced, flipping her aforementioned blond hair over her shoulders. Technically that wasn't true, the light pink color would match Danica's skin tone much better, but Tess was feeling jealousy towards her today. Therefore, she was favoring Jaclyn.

Jackie grinned triumphantly, and nearly skipped off to the dressing rooms to try it on. Tess resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"So, have you found a dress yet?" Danica asked innocently.

"No, not yet." She replied in a snappish tone. Danica made a clicking noise with her tongue, and walked around the table, her fingers tracing a line along the row of shirts. Tess narrowed her eyes at her friend. "What?" Her voice was laced with annoyance, making it clear that to Danica she wasn't amused.

"Nothing," Danica said shrugging. Tess licked her lips as she waited for Danica to tell her what she was hiding.

"What'd you want?" She snapped, placing a delicate hand on her hip.

"The pink shirt." Danica's answered as she stopped pacing to look Tess directly in the eyes. Tess sighed irritatedly.

"Fine." She grumbled. Danica knew her place in the group, and she knew Tess was the unclaimed leader. Anyone who didn't listen to her was out faster then last year's capri pants. But, Danica also knew how to get what she wanted from Tess. "What are you keeping from me?"

"I know where the perfect dress for you is." Tess's eyes widen considerably just as Jackie and Tiffany wandered back to them.

"So, I bought the shirt." Jackie exclaimed happily. Tess blinked twice before turning to slowly face Jackie.

"Actually, the color would look better on Danica." Jackie's smile dropped, as did her eyes. "But Danica will pay you back for it. And," Tess paused as she walked forward and hooked her arm through Jackie's. "I'll buy you that killer red dress." She wiggled her brows playfully and the two walked ahead of Danica and Tiffany.

--

"Shane! Jason!" Alexis' screechy voice echoed in the otherwise quiet room. The two boys walked sullenly into the room to face her. "Do you know what tonight is?"

"December 20th!" Jason yelled excitedly. Alexis' face twisted into one of pretentiousness.

"Yeah." She replied sharply before rolling her eyes. "But do you know what else it is?"

"No," Jason said blankly shaking his head.

"Tonight is the night of the Record Company's Party."

"We know." Shane said, speaking for the first time. He, for one, wasn't a fan of Alexis. Not that he'd ever tell that to Nate. If Nate was happy with her, then he could be happy for Nate . . . maybe.

"Good. Because you guys are going to have to dress up."

"So," Shane raised his eyes brow questionably.

"So, shouldn't you be getting ready?" Shane's mouth was half open, ready to respond angrily. But he paused and took a deep breath before speaking.

"We would be getting ready, but we're out here talking to you right now." He said as kindly as he could. Alexis smirked sasitfiedat something unknown to him. She waved her hand at them, in a gesture that was supposed to be dismissive. Shane bite the inside of his mouth until he could taste blood. _Don't snap at her. She'll just run along and ruin everything tonight._

Just as Shane and Jason turned to 'get ready for the party', Alexis' voice called out to Shane.

"Hey, listen. I need to know something." She said, taking a step closer with every word, until she was brushing against Shane's shoulder. "Is that-_girl_," Alexis crinkled her nose in playful disgust. Shane thought it was probably supposed to look cute, but on her it just looked stupid. "That you're friends with going to be here tonight?" Shane knit his brow.

"You mean Mitchie? Of course she's going to be here tonight. She is my girlfriend."

"No," Alexis laughed daintily, and she let her fingers run along Shane's shoulder. "_Silly_, that blonde girl." She spit out 'blonde' like it tasted bad. This time it was Shane's turn to laugh.

"Of course she's going to come. She's our friend." He said slowly. Alexis frowned, and for a second, she looked like she was going to hit someone. Then, Shane saw something resembling joy cross her eyes. But that quickly passed, and her frown turned into a pout.

"But I don't like her!" She wined, inching closer every second. "Shane, can do you something about her?" She whispered. Shane was about to open his mouth to retort to that question, when he suddenly felt lips on his.

Alexis had wrapped her arms tightly around Shane's neck, and was trying to suck his face off.

"Alexis!" He gasped, pulling her off him and scrambling over the couch. He felt slightly safer with the large piece of furniture between them. But not entirely. "What are you doing? You're dating Nate, and I'm with Mitchie. Besides, even if we were both free, I wouldn't be interested in a selfish brat like you!"

"But-"

"No, don't talk." He quickly held up his hands and ran out of the room. As soon as Shane's door slammed shut, Alexis fell back on the couch, a satisfied smirk gracing her lips. See, she knew that Mitchie was standing just behind the door, watching every move Shane made. She also knew that Mitchie ran away, tears pooling her eyes, when she saw Alexis' lips touch Shane's.

You may ask Alexis why she did that, because it wouldn't solve any of her problems with Tess. And that was fine with her. Some people might catigorize Alexis as a 'sadist'. But Alexis, she just liked to make trouble. Because everyday life was just too boring.

She couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled just under the surface. So she threw her head back, and laughed.

**A/N: Haha, I just couldn't help but to make Alexis a total baddie. It's just more fun that way. Don't worry, I have the rest of the story planed out exactly how I want it to happen, chapter by chapter, so I should get it up very soon! Just as soon as I type it out.**

**So, I'm excited for the next few chapters, but what else is new? I'm also very excited about...dun dun dun**

**JONAS BROTHER NEW ALBUM THAT DROPS AUGUST 12TH, A LITTLE BIT LONGER!! YAY!! All the songs are amazing and I can't wait to buy the album.**

**Oh, and for all of you who have been living under a rock, Nick and Selena are offically dating. Which makes me so happy! They are soo cute together. Hey, if you leave me a comment, you can share your thoughts about this. :D**

Peace.Love.Jonas


	16. Coming To Terms

**Author's Note!** _I got an anonymous review today, and it made me realize how unfair it was to keep this story unfinished. So, I logged onto my account, turned my iPod on shuffle, and started to write. Hopefully this is good enough, because I know there is no way that I can say how truly sorry I am for not updating. This is for anyone out there who is still reading this story and is actually enjoying it. I'm so grateful for you._

"Stupid, self-centered jerk. I can't believe I actually thought he had changed. He's still the same boy I met over the summer." Mitchie fumed to herself. It had been over two hours since she had seen Shane and Alexis lip-locked. In those two hours, she'd wandered the halls of the entire hotel and gone through every emotion ranging from depression to self-pity. She was now on anger.

Mitchie let out a loud groan as she slammed her back against the wall. Her legs gave out from under her and she slid to the floor. A few locks of her light brown bangs fell into her eyes, and she impatiently blew them out of the way. "I'm never dating again," She grumbled, pulling her knees up to her chest. She wrapped her arms around them and let her head fall onto her knees.

"Okay, whoever is making all this noise needs to-" A very distinctive female voice broke the silence of the hallway. She yanked her door open, letting her vibrant blue eyes scan the place. "Oh," She let out a surprised gasp. The girl lingered in her doorway for a few uncertain moments before she slowly made her over to the crying girl. "Um, are you okay?" She asked, placing a hand awkwardly on her shoulder.

"No," Mitchie mumbled into her knees.

"What . . . what's wrong?" Mitchie sniffed and sluggishly lifted her head. She wiped at her eyes to rid them of the tears. Suddenly, the comforting hand on her shoulder was snatched back by it's owner.

"_Mitchie?"_ Mitchie turned her head and was surprised to see the familiar blonde head of Tess Tyler gawking at her.

_"Tess?"_ The two girls jumped away from one another at the same time. An uncomfortable, stifling quiet followed as both girls fidgeted waiting for the other to say something first.

"Why were you crying?" Tess asked softly. Her gaze was staring fixedly down the hallway, her back facing Mitchie.

"What?" Mitchie furrowed her brow. Was Tess being . . . _nice?_

Tess let out an annoyed huff and turned back to face Mitchie.

"You were crying. Why?" Mitchie folded her arms across her chest and dropped her eyes to the floor. She lifted one shoulder in a noncommittal answer. After a few minutes, Tess started tapping her shoe and it was clear that Mitchie's answer was not sufficient.

"Shane," Was what she finally said. Tess clicked her tongue.

"What did he do now?" Mitchie was silent as she mulled over whether or not she should respond. What was Tess playing at? Why was she acting like she cared? Should she tell Tess what happened? It's not like Tess could make her feel any worse than she already did.

"He kissed Alexis." Even Tess, the queen of calm coolness, couldn't keep the shock from her face.

"Shane, your boyfriend, kissed Alexis, Nate's girlfriend?" Mitchie nodded. Tess narrowed her eyes, almost as if she were trying to figure out if Mitchie was telling the truth or not. Finally, Tess seemed to believe Mitchie. She grabbed Mitchie's arm and led her to her room. "Start from the beginning and tell me everything."

---

Shane Grey paced her room anxiously. He raked a hand through his midnight black hair. What was he going to do? He couldn't tell Nate that Alexis kissed him, because he'd never believe him. And if he did tell Nate, then that meant that he'd have to tell Mitchie, and he really didn't want to do that.

A loud groan escaped his lips as he threw himself onto his bed. He covered his face with his hands and attempted to clear his thoughts. "Why does everything have to be so complicated?" He complained.

It would be so easy if he could just talk to Mitchie. She always knew exactly what to do. She helped him keep his head on and think straight. He would have felt better if she were here with him.

The one person he wanted talk to the most, was the one person he couldn't ever tell.

Another groan escaped his lips.

---

"Wow, I can't believe he just let her kiss him," Tess said. She sat on her bed, her legs curled underneath her, while Mitchie recounted what had happen earlier that day.

"Yup, my boyfriend's a lying, cheating jerkface." Mitchie was lounging in a chair across the room. Once again, she had her legs pulled up to her chest and was resting her head against her knees.

"That just doesn't sound like Shane." Tess trailed off. Mitchie glared in Tess's direction. "Well, I mean, sure he can be a jerk a lot of the time. And maybe he does lie every once and awhile, but you shouldn't be complaining about that." Mitchie's glare hardened. Tess grinned back before quickly growing somber again. "But, Shane would never cheat on you. He cares about you too much. Trust me."

Mitchie's eyes darted across the room as she let those words sink in. She let out a long, slow breath before lifting her eyes back up to Tess's face.

"Alright, so what should I do?" Mitchie paused. She stared into Tess's eyes. "What would you do?" Tess raised her brow questionably.

"Do you want to know what you _should_ do, or what _I _would do?"

Mitchie bit her lower lip as she thought over her options. If she reacted in the way that she usually would, then Shane would apologize and everything would go back to normal. If she reacted in the way Tess would, Shane would be begging her to take him back and he would promise to never do anything like that again. Mitchie was pretty sure that if she did things Tess's way, then Shane _wouldn't_ ever cheat on her again. Mitchie's lips twisted up in a surprised smirk.

"What would you do?" Tess's grin returned to her face, but this time it was much bigger than before.

"Alright, now we're talking."

**Authors Note! **_I know this chapter wasn't exactly that great. But, hopefully all you lovely readers will be so happy that I updated that they won't really mind that this story is crap. Sorry this chappie didn't have any Nate in it. I promise what Tess is doing is going to be important for the story and led to the moment where Tess and Nate get together.  
_


	17. The Truth Comes Out

**Author's Note! **_What's this? Two chapter updates in one day? What is this, Armageddon? Maybe, or maybe I just realized how much I did love writing this story. Whoever left that anonymous review, I owe you my career as a writer. Thank you so much for being that spark of inspiration that I desperately needed to continue with this story. If you're out there and you have a pen-name, please let me know who you are. I sincerely need to properly thank you._

"Okay, so this is what we need to do." Tess said, dragging Mitchie out of her comfortable position in the chair. Tess tapped her finger to her chin thoughtfully. "First, we need to find you a killer dress."

"For what?" Mitchie asked, confusion shining in her brown eyes. Tess sighed, her eyes rolling skyward.

"For the part tonight. Honestly, Mitchie, if you're going make this work, then you have to keep up." With that said, Tess flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned on her heel. Mitchie stared at her retreating back for a second before rushing after her.

"Tess, I really appricate you helping me, but I don't really feel up to going to this party tonight."

"Like I said, Mitchie, if you want to get Shane back, then you have to do exactly what I say." Mitchie stopped short and gulped loudly.

"Back? What do you mean 'back'? I thought you said he cared about me too much to cheat!" Mitchie was starting to sound more than just a little hysterical. Tess winced at the high-pitched volume. She spun back around and grabbed Mitchie's shoulders, giving her a good shake.

"Relax okay? I'm not saying he's gone anywhere. But, we need to make sure he doesn't start thinking about straying. Got it?" Mitchie nodded her head. Frankly, she was little shocked by the strength that Tess was holding her shoulders with. Tess dropped her arms and cleared her throat. "Okay, good. Now that that's settled, follow me."

Mitchie scrambled to keep up with Tess's long strides. Then, just as abruptly as Tess had started walking, she stopped and Mitchie nearly ran right into her.

"I can't believe I'm about to do this for you." Tess grumbled to herself. She disappeared into a large closest, and when Mitchie tried to follow her in, Tess shouted at her to stay where she was. There was some rustling noises inside the closet, and when Tess emerged, she was carrying an article of clothing in her arms and a grimace on her face. Before Mitchie could say anything, Tess was already talking.

"This dress looked amazing on me, and it complemented my curves wonderfully. It's basically every girl's dream dress. But, the even I can't denie that the color would suit your dark hair better. So, here." Tess held out the dress to Mitchie. Mitchie's mouth fell open and her eyes widen as she realized what Tess was trying to do.

"Tess, I can't take your dress. Besides, I already have a dress. Don't-"

"Didn't you hear a word I said? It would look better on you than me." Tess paused as her eyes travel up and down Mitchie's body. "Plus, you it more than I do tonight." Mitchie frowned at Tess. The kindness could only last for so long with that girl. "So, would you just take it before I change my mind?" Tess shook the dress impatiently.

"Thanks Tess." Mitchie smiled warmly at Tess as she took the dress. Tess shrugged.

"Don't mention it." The two smiled at each other for a second longer, and it almost felt like they were . . . friends. "Now, we have to do something about that hair." And whatever feeling of friendship that was there was immediately gone.

"What about my hair?"

---

"Jason, what do I do?" Shane was once again pacing around his room. A permanent scowl was on his face as he tried to do his tie. Jason sat on Shane's bed, a white horse propped up on his crossed legs. The older boys' head followed Shane in his perpetual pacing, his head going from side to side with Shane's body.

"Do about what?" He asked, his face staring blankly back at Shane.

"About Alexis!" Shane shouted as he paused in his endless pace to glare at Jason. Jason grimaced at the name.

"I don't like her." He whispered. Shane sighed loudly. He really didn't have any idea why he thought Jason would be able to help. The boy actually thought that his stuffed horse could talk.

"What about Alexis?" The last member of their band, and part of Shane's problem, asked as he waltzed into the room. He held a green apple loosely in his left hand and Shane could see where he'd already taken bites out of it.

"What about her?" Shane responded coyly. Nate gave him a confused look as he joined Jason on the bed.

"What's up with you? You've been locked in here for most of the day." Nate brought the apple back to his mouth and he took a large bite.

"Nothing's up . . . I was just enjoying the quiet."

"Shane, you hate when things are quiet." Nate pointed out. He narrowed his eyes at him.

"What were you guys talking about?" Both Shane and Jason avoided meeting Nate's eyes. Shane distracted himself by trying to comb his thick hair, while Jason merely hummed to himself as his gaze jumped around the room. "Jason?" Nate asked slowly. Jason kept his head turned away from Nate. "Jason?" Nate asked again, this time getting up from his spot on the bed. He moved and sat on the other side of Jason. Jason gasped and squeezed his eyes shut to keep from looking at Nate. Over in the corner, Shane chuckled while he watched the exchange through the mirror.

"Guys, seriously, what's going on?"

"We don't like Alexis." Jason suddenly blurted out. Shane winced as Jason hid behind his stuffed animal.

"You . . ." Nate blinked once. "Don't like Alexis?" Shane sighed as he walked over to the bed. He sat down on the other side of Nate and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Nate flinched away from the touch, his apple falling to ground with a soft _thunk_.

"I'm sorry, Nate." Shane said, letting his hand fall back to his side.

"So, what," Nate shouted, jumping up from the bed. "You guys have just been sitting here talking about how much you can't stand my girlfriend?"

"No! Nate, it's not like that." Shane cried, also jumping up.

"Really? 'Cause it sounds like that's exactly what it's like." Nate hissed, shoving Shane in the chest.

"Hey!" Shane yelled, slapping Nate's hands away. "Calm down, alright. We weren't talking about not liking her."

"What were you talking about then?" Nate shouted, taking a step toward Shane.

"We were talking about how you girlfriend is a lying cheat."

"Watch it, Gray." Nate warned, his voice dangerously low. Even Jason could see that things were get heated. Nate looked like he was about ready to punch Shane.

"Alexis kissed Shane." Jason said simply, his soft voice sounding wildly out of place compared to the shouts of the other two boys.

"What?" Nate rounded on Jason, his dark eyes flashing. Jason frowned sympathetically at Nate.

"They were talking in the other room, and Alexis just pounced on him." Shane swore under his breath as he resumed his nervous pacing. Nate glanced back and forth between Shane and Jason.

"Oh, God." He mumbled, stumbling over to the bed. Shane paused in his pacing. He eyed Nate warily.

"You okay, buddy?" Nate chuckled; emotionless.

"Yea, why wouldn't I be? I just found out that my girlfriend kissed my best friend. Everything's just peachy." He snapped sarcastically. Silence washed over the room. Shane sighed as he once again took a seat on his bed. The bed groaned from the added weight.

"Why are you with her?" Shane asked. Nate was soundless for a moment as he stared at the wall before him.

"I'm not sure." Nate's voice was soft, and his eyes had that glazed look that people get when they're lost in their own head. "I mean, she's pretty and she liked me. So, I went out with her. And, I guess it was just easier to keep going out with her then being alone and wishing that I wasn't."

"You need to break up with her." Shane's voice brought Nate back from wherever his mind had drifted.

"I know. I will."

**Author's Note! **_Ooh, so Nate's already decided that he's going to break up with her. What does this mean for a pretty little blonde who has a thing for him? Does this mean they can finally be together? Read and review to find out!_


	18. The Party

**Author's Note! **_Before you read this, go on iTune's and put on Cobra Starship's _(I Make) Good Girls Go Bad_ on. If you don't have the song, then shame on you. Go buy it, download, or listen to it on youtube. This song must be playing while reading this chapter. Because that's song's playing in the club, and it inspired this chapter. So, enjoy the song and the chapter._

_**Dedicated to my new favorite reviewer: Pinkie Maz. This is a big one girlie, so be happy.**  
_

Tess could feel the beat of the music before she could hear it. The whole ground around the club seemed to shake. Her infamous smirk had twisted its way onto her lips. With one hand planted firmly on her hip, Tess performed a near perfect hair flip and walked through the doors.

She could feel almost every person's gaze on her as she made her way through the crowd. That thought alone was enough to lift her spirts. But, Tess was already feeling on top of the world. Not only had she practically transformed drab, boring Mitchie into a sexy, heart-stopping woman, but Tess herself was looking her best.

Since she'd given Mitchie the stunning dress, Tess had settled on wearing a tight, dark denim, mini skirt and hot pink top that enhanced what little curves she had. Her legs looked miles long with the hot pink heels she had to worn. Overall, Tess thought she looked drop dead gorgeous.

She glanced over her shoulder at Mitchie. The girl looked almost as good as Tess did herself. The dress that Tess had lent her was a dark navy blue and stopped halfway down her calf. Sure, the clevage dropped a little lower than most did, but it was still a beautiful dress. Tess had even taken Mitchie to a hair dress so they could do something about those dreadful mousy brown locks she called hair. Now, it was much darker and curled to perfection. Mitchie would definitely break a few hearts tonight.

Tess was pretty proud of herself.

"Tess! Mitchie! Over here!" A male voice called out. Tess spotted an arm waving around above the mass of dancing people. She grabbed Mitchie's arm and pulled her forward.

"Listen," Tess hissed into Mitchie's ear, "You're going to see Shane in about five minutes. Just pretend that nothing happened. And stop looking like someone put an ice cube down your pants. You look hot, so act like it." Mitchie bit her lower lip, and Tess pinced her in the side. Mitchie immediately released the hold on her lip.

"Hey, girls. What's . . . woah." Shane's eyes nearly fell out of his head as he caught sight of the two girls. Tess's smirk returned to her face.

"Eat your heart out, Gray." She shouted over the music. He grinned hungerily at them.

"Mitchie, you look . . . wow." Tess felt a moment of panic. Everything could either go exactly the way they planned it, or horribly wrong depending on how Mitchie responded to Shane. Mitchie's eyes darted to Tess's face for a fraction of a second before returning to Shane's. A grin broke out on her lips as she leaned into him.

"Tell me something I don't know." She whispered. Tess silently cheered to herself. Damn, she was good. Mitchie winked at Tess as Shane led Mitchie out onto the dance floor. Tess watched as Mitchie let out a joyous laugh when Shane wrapped his arms around her. The same pang of jealous that hit Tess the first time she saw them together returned. Except, this time it wasn't because it was Mitchie and Shane, it was just because they were both so happily in love, and Tess was still alone.

That's why she jumped nearly twenty feet in the air when a pair of arms snaked their way around Tess's waist.

"What did you do to her?" The owner's voice whispered into her hair. Tess felt her body go limp at that voice. He was the only person she'd ever know who could literally make her knees go weak. Tess turned around so that she was facing him, his arms still wrapped securely around her.

"I didn't do anything. I just gave her the means to do something herself." Nate's brows came together in a way that was so cute Tess actually found herself blushing.

"I have no clue what that means." He said, chuckling as he shook his head. The song that was blasting around them ended, just as another one was starting. "Hey, you wanna dance?" He asked in the two seconds of silence. He didn't even give her a chance to respond before pulling her onto the dance floor.

Three songs later and Tess was pretty sure her legs were about to give out.

"Nate!" She wined, resting her sweaty head on his shoulder. "I need to sit down!"

"Oh, come on, just one more song." Tess looked up into Nate's pleading eyes. Her stomach began doing flip flops and she knew there was no way she could say no.

"Fine. But, just one more!" She insisted. Nate grinned at her. The song they were dancing to ended.

It was as if the gods like to see Tess tortured. The first few notes of Lifehouse's _You & Me_ filled the floor. Couples began to wrap themselves up in each other.

"You promised," Nate said, cocking his head to the side. Trembling, Tess stepped into Nate's embrace. Her arms found his neck, as his returned to her waist. The two began to slowly sway to the music. Tess kept her eyes looking everywhere but at Nate. "Hey," He whispered, his breath tickling her ear. "Relax. I'm not going to do anything." Tess smiled and slowly brought her eyes to meet his.

Everyone around them suddenly disappeared from sight. It was just Tess, Nate, and Jason Wade's voice. Nate's grip tighten around her waist, and Tess allowed him to pull her closer. Their eyes locked and Tess was certain that he could hear her heart pounding away in her chest.

Then, slowly, almost imperceptibly, they started leaning in towards each other. Nate's breath mingled with Tess's. There lips were centimeter's apart.

"Tess," Nate whispered. His voice was hardly above a breath, and yet Tess could hear him almost as clearly as she would've if he had yelled it.

And, suddenly Tess's entire world came rushing back to her. If it weren't for Nate's strong hold on her, she was sure she would've stumbled. It was all too much for her to handle. She couldn't breath, couldn't think. She needed space. She needed air.

She started to push away from him. Nate's eyes opened. Tess could see the confusion mixed with hurt in them.

"I'm sorry Nate." She whispered just as the last note of the song ended. Tears filled her eyes, and she knew she needed to get out of there.

"_Nate!_" A very loud, very angry voice shouted. Every person in the room turned to look at Nate and Tess just as a very fierce looking Alexis pushed her way through the crowd. Nate dropped his arms from Tess's side, and Tess took a step back. "What are you doing with that," Alexis sneered at Tess. "That whore."

"What?" Tess shouted, stepping forward. This girl was not going to live long. Nate grabbed Tess's arm to hold her back.

"Alexis," He said, moving around Tess so that she was behind him.

"No, don't you '_Alexis'_ me, you cheating scumbag." Tess let out a loud, short laugh.

"That's rich, coming from you," She hissed from behind Nate.

"What are you talking about? I would never cheat on Nate. I _love _him." Nate had his mouth open to retort to her, but Tess had already pushed herself around him.

"Listen to me, you little Pussy-Cat-Doll-Wannabe," Alexis gasped in outrage, but Tess just kept talking. "You lie, you cheat, and you over-react. I don't know why Nate's with you, but he deserves to know the truth." Tess turned to Nate. "She kissed Shane." A collective gasp sounded from the crowd surrounding them, and Tess realized for the first time that there was no music playing. Everyone's eyes were on Nate, waiting to see his reaction.

"I know," He said, shrugging one shoulder.

"You _know_,"

"It's not true, Natey-kins. Shane came onto me!" Again, the crowd gasped as their eyes searched the room for Shane. "Besides," Alexis said, trying to do the same hair-flip Tess had practiced for years. Tess rolled her eyes at the poor attempt at it. "Who could blame him, with that good-for-nothing, ugly girlfriend he has, he needed a _real_ woman to fulfill his needs."

Tess didn't even think about what she was doing. She simply let instinct take over.

Pulling her arm back as far as it would go, Tess let it fly forward and hit Alexis squarely in the nose. A sicking _crack _was the only thing to be heard until Alexis hit the floor. There was a beat of silence before Alexis started screaming. But, her screams of agnoy where drowned out by the cheers coming from around them.

Tess winced and shook her hand. That's when she saw Nate from the corner of her eye. She turned to look at him. He was staring in shock at the place where Alexis lay on the ground.

"I'm so sorry, Nate." She whispered, before turning and running as far away as she could.

**Author's Note! **_Wow, that was some pretty intense stuff. I wonder what'll happen next. Well, actually I don't wonder, 'cause I know what's going to happen. But, you lovely readers don't and the only way you will find out is if you review! :D_


End file.
